From the 16th century onwards, Taiwan was known to the West as Ilha Formosa ("Beautiful Island" in Portuguese). The island's beauty stems from its inhabitants' close interaction with the environment, Their "tango with nature". The hunting taboos established by their ancestors enabled Taiwan's indigenous peoples to coexist with nature, The island's inhabitants respected the workings of nature and lived, worked and rested in accordance with the seasons. Even with today's commercial and industrial developments that have made Taiwan a highly-developed society, its people still strive to balance economic development with environmental protection. This will allow them to reap the benefits of a competitive technology-based economy without losing the enjoyment of the island's mountains and forests.

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