WULAI, TAIWAN — Two unsuspecting tourists are coaxed on stage by some lovely local dancers and allow themselves to become part of the show at the Aboriginal Heritage Centre.The two men are told to get on their hands and knees, drink tea from a bowl and then are spanked with a brush.The audience howls with laughter. Then, a chair is strapped to their backs on which one of the female dancers sits. The men are then expected to get to their feet and walk across the stage with the slight women and chair teetering on their backs.

The more athletic of the two tourists gets to his feet without a problem; the other grimaces and groans and the audience claps their encouragement. When both are standing upright, photographs of the men carrying the women are taken and the audience applauds. The show is over.

Lee, the man who accompanied us to this aboriginal village, located 30 kilometres southeast of Taipei, pokes me and says: “Those tourists probably don’t know it but they just got married. That (dance) is part of the aboriginal marriage ceremony.” You may not want to get married in Taiwan, but you’ll find it an easy country to fall in love with. In fact, it was love at first sight when I arrived in Wulai, where about 3,000 members of the Tai Ya tribe still live and where aboriginal history can be traced back 8,000 years.

Lovely Wulai, nestled in majestic mountains where hot springs and an 80-metre-high waterfall dominate the landscape, has become a favourite with weekenders from Taipei. But it also offers oversea visitors a glimpse into the country’s intriguing culture.

Contrary to popular belief, Taiwan was well settled before the first Europeans (the Dutch) arrived in the 17th century.

The Austronesian people were here 6,000 years before Christ was born and 260,000 aboriginals still inhabit one of the most modern countries on Earth. And while the bustling markets, high-end shopping districts and nightlife of Taipei are what many foreigners come to enjoy, small aboriginal villages like Wulai are what intrigues us most.

An ornate archway greets visitors at the entrance of Wulai, where traffic is banned. The main street bustles with souvenir shops selling aboriginal handicrafts.Children holding colourful umbrellas play between the massive boulders that protrude from the shallow river where crayfish and rainbow trout are abundant.

A bridge that crosses the river leads to the entrance of the national park where visitors board a gondola for breathtaking views of Wulai Falls — the largest of many waterfalls in the area — and the surrounding gorge.

Tiny Wulai is dominated by hot spring hotels and public baths where visitors soak in medicinal waters which, according to local legend, cures everything from sore backs to sore toes.

The gondola takes riders to the top of Wulai Falls and the entrance of a hotel, conference centre and the Yunxian playground — a nature park with beautiful gardens, paddle boats, nature trails and even a natural obstacle course which children seem to love.

Wulai is often called the Coney Island of Taiwan and is easily accessible from Taipei by local bus. Many Taipei hotels even offer shuttle service to Wulai.

Tour East Holidays offers packages to Taiwan starting at $380. Go to http://www.toureast.com