Betel nut beauty 檳榔西施

NOTE: This page is no longer being updated. The new betel nut beauty pages are at Taiwanderful - the Taiwan Guide. Betel nut beauties or betel nut girls (檳榔西施 binlang xishi) are a common sight along the roadsides in Taiwan. Some people regard their presence as an outrage while others think they are a unique and colourful part of life in Taiwan. The girls can be seen in sitting in large glass-walled booths on the sides of the road. They are usually busy counting betel nuts or else sitting there looking very bored. Customers stop while driving past and the girls run out to sell them bags of betel nuts. The girls also sell drinks and cigarettes. Betel nut is also known as areca nut. It is the seed of the betel palm (Areca catechu). Betel nut is Taiwan's second largest agricultural crop. Betel nut plantations dominate the landscape in parts of Central and Southern Taiwan. While betel nut girls are a source of controversy and interest the environmental and health impacts of betel nut are in reality more serious concerns.

I have credited the source of the photos wherever possible.

• Engrish in Taiwan - Betelnut Beauties (recommended)
• Photos by Chin-pao CHEN
• Betelnut Beauties album - Brian David Phillips
• photo of two betel nut beauties
• Long-legged betel nut beauty (recommended)
• Betel Nut Girl - from Camereye (recommended)
• SARS betel nut stand - from Camereye
• Seven Star betel nut - photo by David Reid
• One night betel nut stand - photo by David Reid
• Funny girl with tattoo in bikini - from the Taipei Times (recommended)
• Two betel nut beauties prepare their product - from the Taipei Times
• Hsiao-min and Hsiao-yeh - from the Taipei Times
• Betel nut girl and police officer - from the Taipei Times
• Two ladies - from the Taipei Times
• Betel nut beauties by Wu Chiung-hua - from the Taipei Times
• A 'betel-nut beauty' scurries to deliver a box of betel nuts to a customer - from the Taipei Times
• Betelnut Babes - from The Real Taiwan
• Woman counting betel nuts - from BBC News
• Betel nut truck - photo by Poagao
• La mei (Spice girl) binlang
• Taiwan binlang
• Girl delivering to motorcycle rider
• Taiwan photo album (a few good betel nut pics here)
• Ugly urban betel nut stand
• Girl with red hair

Some betel nut girl photos from flickr

• Photos tagged with betelnut @ flickr
• Betelnut Boxes a photoset by ruan benade @ flickr
• Betelnut girl Taoyuan by bignosetw @ flickr
• Betelnut Girls Taoyuan by bignosetw @ flickr
• Betelnut girl, Hsinchu by bignosetw @ flickr
• Betelnut Girl Sally 002 by bignosetw @ flickr
• Betel nut girl by delviking @ flickr
• Ting Feeling by alidarbac @ flickr
• Night time betel nut by alidarbac @ flickr
• Double star by alidarbac @ flickr
• Banqiao Betel Nut girl (crop) by davidreid @ flickr
• Seven Star Betel Nut by davidreid @ flickr
• Betel nut girl in Hsinchu, Taiwan by tangtangro @ flickr
• Betelnut Beauties (Toy) - photos by milltownkid
• Betelnut girls toy by toddintaipei @ flickr
• Betelnut girls toy 2 by toddintaipei @ flickr
• Taichung Street Betelnut Beauty by fotolee @ flickr
• Hsinchu Street Betelnut Beauty by fotolee @ flickr
• Betelnut girl by mills70 @ flickr

Photos by Michael Turton

Michael Turton's webpage Betel Nut Girls of Taiwan has a vast collection of betel nut girl photos. Highly recommended!!!

Betel nut videos at YouTube

• BigNose Productions
• Betelnut Girls Taiwan
• Betelnut girl: Not Always What You Expect
• Betel nut girl
• pole dancers and betel nut girls
• 重量級檳榔店
• 檳榔文化

The movie Betelnut Beauty (Chinese title: 愛你愛我 Ai Ni Ai Wo) was released in the year 2001 and directed by Lin Cheng-sheng (林正盛) .

• Betelnut beauty - synopsis and review
• Lin Cheng-sheng: From Baking to Filmmaking (interview)
• IMDB Betelnut beauty
• 2002 Chinese Film Showcase : Betelnut Beauty
• 愛你愛我 (Chinese information)

Links to articles about betel nut girls and betel nut

• Study highlights cancer risks from betel-nut chewing
- Taipei Times article
• Curbing betel chewing a tough nut to crack - China Post article
• DOH mulls imposing health tax on betel nuts - China Post article
• Chewing betel nuts now a serious matter: DOH
- Taipei Times article
• Cancers of cervix, liver still top killers among local patients - DOH reports cases of oral cancer among men rising, blames increase in betel nut chewing - Taiwan News article
• Health gurus targeting younger betel nut chewers - Taipei Times article
• Sex workers talk about getting new lease on life - Taipei Times article
• Betel nut girls and unrequited desire exposed - Taipei Times article
• Betel-nut girls focus of exhibit - Taipei Times article
• Betel nut trees disappearing as consumer demand fades - Taiwan News article
• Austrian artist explores island's unique 'betel nut beauty' culture - Taiwan News article
• Betel nut beauties intrigue Austrian - Taipei Times article
• Young betel nut chewers increase - Taipei Times article
• Betel-nut beauties a part of local culture - Taipei Times article
• Teachers discuss how to counsel betel nut vendors - Taipei Times article
• Betel nut brouhaha exposes disagreement - Asia Times Online article
• Betel-nut beauties to face wrath of interior minister - Taipei Times article
• It's a girl world at the betel nut stand - Taipei Times article
• 'Betel-nut beauties' bare their anger over new rules - Taipei Times article
• Taipei to ban minors from chewing betelnuts - Taiwan News article
• Taiwan's 60,000 Betel-Nut Beauties Thwart Effort to Curb Cancer Bloomberg article
• Taiwan's Betel Nut Beauties: Under Pressure from All Sides - Worldwide Faith News article
• Betel nut beauties face crackdown. Just kidding! - BBC News
• Palm-Nut Problem: Asian chewing habit linked to oral cancer - Science News

Other betel nut related websites

• The Takao Club: The Bin-Lang Files
  • Story of the Nut
  • Binlang girls
  • Binlang box
• Taiwanese Chewing Gum: Betel-nut
• Betelnut Princesses (Binglang xishi)
• Betel-Nut Beauties - discussion at Forumosa
• Betel Nut - discussion at Forumosa
• www.betelnutbeauties.com - discussion at Forumosa
• American betel nut beauty - discussion at Forumosa
• Betel Nut in Taiwan
• Betelnut videos
• Betel Nut Beauty
• Vending Machine Toys
• Life of Brian: Betel nut beauties
• Le Betel (English and French website)
• The Betel Nut
• Betel Nut Video
• Nutty habit has health officials worried
• Taiwan Betel Nut Girl
• Art of the Betel Nut Beauty...IN THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDING!!!
• Betel Nut Babes Thwart Cancer Progress in Taiwan
• One night (betel nut) stand
• Taiwanese Heroin
• Betel-Mania!
• Taiwan Betelnut Girls
• Taiwan betel nut girl movies
• Betel nut girls
• Taiwan Betelnut Girls
• Betel nut beauties
• Are all those betel nut girls really girls?
• The power of the nut
• BETEL NUT: An Essay
• Betel nut beauty - Wikipedia
• Betel nut - Wikipedia