Taiwan's housing crisis is far from over, however. Despite government confidence about meeting its 2024 target, as of February only 23,000 social-housing units had been completed.

Taiwan Railway Tours and LION Travel operate the dessert train on weekends. There are four train cars and 60 seats, so making reservations early is key, as spots fill quickly on the luxury train ride.

About 10 luxury houses will invest at least $3.46 million for each of the new stores due to open starting the third quarter of this year, according to Taipei 101 spokesman Michael Liu.

From a standing start, Taiwan has embarked on one of the world's most ambitious social-housing programmes. Dezeen finds out more as part of our Social Housing Revival series.