Isle of Time

The story of Taiwan, unfolded

Free · In‑App Purchases

Each era opens in acts, so you see how it begins and turns before picking a volume. 182 volumes of Taiwan's history, from Fort Zeelandia in 1624 to today, all narrated. Isle of Time is a digital exhibition chronicling four hundred years of Formosa's history — from the Age of Exploration to modern Taiwan. Presented with the editorial clarity of a broadsheet newspaper, each article draws from primary sources, archival documents, and images spanning eight distinct historical eras. Browse at your own pace, follow thematic threads that weave across centuries, or let the app surface a new reading each day. CHRONICLE Browse a curated timeline spanning eight eras of Taiwan's history — from Dutch and Spanish colonization through the Qing Dynasty, Japanese colonial period, and the road to democracy. A parallel music timeline traces the island's sonic heritage from early gramophone recordings to contemporary indie. HISTORICAL ATLAS See where history took place. An interactive map of Taiwan, Penghu, and Green Island plots key events as color-coded dots. Pinch, zoom, and tap to explore connections between eras, follow thematic threads across the island, and jump straight into any article. THEMATIC THREADS Follow cross-cutting themes — trade, governance, identity, resistance — that connect events across four centuries into coherent narratives. DAILY READING A different article surfaces each day, drawn from across the full archive, so there is always something new to discover. LISTEN Have any article read aloud with built-in text-to-speech, and continue listening as you browse. BOOKMARKS & SEARCH Save articles for later and search across the entire archive by title or keyword. Sources and images are drawn from the Academia Historica, National Archives Administration, U.S. National Archives, and other publicly available scholarly resources. Designed and developed by Studio Aspen.

  • 4.9
    out of 5
    8 Ratings

Figures • The Figures tab now groups people by era, in acts, and each act opens with a short account of those years. • At the bottom of a figure's page you can go straight to the next person, and the last figure of an era leads into the next era. • Figure pages now list others from the same volume and the people most often mentioned alongside them. Figures you've viewed are marked Read. • On iPad, the tab opens on a full-page portrait gallery for each era. Swipe left or right to change eras. • On Mac, the tab also opens on an era gallery, and there's a new Figures menu in the menu bar. Right-click a portrait to open it or hear the biography. • On iPhone, changing eras comes with a light haptic tap. Atlas • Zoom in and the map draws city and district boundaries, and event cards show the district. • Double-tap to zoom in around the point you tapped. Tap with two fingers to zoom out. • On iPhone and iPad the map now extends under the toolbar, so more of it is visible. • With Reduce Motion on, the camera cuts to the new view instead of flying there. • The first zoom no longer stalls. Special Issue • On iPad and Mac, the special issue now sits next to Daily Reading. • A finished special issue becomes a back-issue card below Continue Listening. • Closing a zoomed image returns you to the page you were reading. Other • Fixed narration pronunciations in volumes on the Kingdom of Tungning, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Taihoku air raid and the early postwar years.

The developer, Wei-lun Su, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

  • Data Not Collected

    The developer does not collect any data from this app.

    Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

    The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More

    Seller
    Wei-lun Su
    Size
    31.5 MB
    Category
    Education
    Compatibility
    Requires iOS 18.6 or later.
    • iPhone
      Requires iOS 18.6 or later.
    • iPad
      Requires iPadOS 18.6 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 26.2 or later.
    • Apple Vision
      Requires visionOS 2.6 or later.
    Languages
    English and Traditional Chinese
    Age Rating
    4+
    In-App Purchases
    Yes
    • Small Tip $0.99
    • Patron Tip $8.99
    • Supporter Tip $2.99
    Copyright
    © 2026 Studio Aspen. All Rights Reserved