- Getting Around Taipei -

Taipei & New Taipei City

National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Photographer: 王昭貴 The National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is built for memorizing the president Chiang Kai-Shek. The octagonal roof of the National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is covered with blue glazed tiles and blue and white are main color of the building, which echoes the colors used in the flag of Republic of China. The National Concert Hall and the National Theater are respectively located on two sides of Memorial Hall Square.

Yangmingshan National Park

Photographer: 陳素貞 National Park is home to a rich ecology. There are 30 known mammal species here, including the indigenous Formosan macaque and red-bellied tree squirrel. The park also provides a habitat for over 100 bird and butterfly species, as well as brilliant azaleas, cherry blossoms, and other blooms, all of which can be enjoyed during the annual Yangmingshan Flower Festival from February to March. In March and April, the lilies take the stage during the Zhuzihu Calla Lily Festival, and in October silver-grass carpet the hillsides with their waving tasseled heads. Qingtiangang is a good spot to enjoy the lush grasslands of Yangmingshan, and at the geothermally active Lengshuikeng you can get an up-close look at the park's volcanic geology. After a scenic tour, make sure to try the local cuisine. Vegetables, bamboo shoot soup, sweet potato soup and Chinese yam are among the many fresh and tasty dishes sold here, fresh from the farm.

Gondola —Maokong

Photographer: 吳志學 Maokong is located in the southwest of Getou Mountain in Wenshan District of Taipei outskirts. It is facing the shield of more than 500 meters high. The construction of the Maokong Gondola began on November 10, 2005, and the system began operation in July 2007. It is Taipei City's first high-altitude gondola. This French POMA-made system makes a circuit of four stations: Taipei Zoo Station, Taipei Zoo South Station, Zhinan Temple Station, and Maokong Station. There are also two angle stations where the gondola changes direction. Maokong has evolved into a favorite tourist destination for locals and visitors, who go there to visit its tea plantations and tea houses. The tea farms here are famous for Tie Guanyin Tea and Baozhong Tea.

SanXia—Old Street & SanXia—Qingshui Zushi Temple

Photographer: 吳志學 Photographer: 徐世榮 Sanxia is a traditional district located in northern Taiwan, easily accessible from Taipei. It has become known in recent years mainly because of its Qingshui Zushi (Divine Ancestor) Temple, which is unique among all the Chinese temples of the world for the painstaking and time-consuming dedication to classical temple arts that is manifested in its modern reconstruction work. The town, originally named Sanjiaoyong after its location at the confluence of three rivers, was given its present name of Sanxia (Three Gorges, also the name of its main river) in 1920. Nestled where fertile plains meet mountain foothills, and blessed with convenient inland river transport, Sanxia offered excellent conditions for development in the early years of Taiwan's settlement by the Chinese. It quickly became an important goods distribution center and a base for the production of camphor, the growing of tea, and especially the dyeing of cloth. As transport shifted elsewhere and the use of river transportation declined, however, Sanxia gradually lost its importance as a commercial center. Sanxia Old Street refers to the south section of Minquan Street in New Taipei City. Its length is about two hundred meters, and its architecture dates back to the early days when the Republic of China was newly established. Walking along Sanxia Old Street is like walking into a time tunnel; the arched red brick hallways, the traditional architecture, the beams, columns, ancient wooden plaques, the squat maidens walls and the figure carvings upon the buildings are all very unique.

Taipei 101

Photographer: 齊柏林 Located in the heart of Taipei's Xin Yi district, Taipei 101 Tower Building stands a skyscraper looming above thick clouds hovering over Taipei city. Taipei 101, also known as Taipei International Financial Center, comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building's construction started in 1999 and completed in 2004. It officially declared as the tallest building in the world, now holds three of the four official World's Tallest Building titles. Designed by Master Architect C.Y. Lee, this 508-meter skyscraper combines classic oriental culture and local Taiwanese features. Its glass curtain wall with double glazed heat reduction clear glass observatory allows viewers to enjoy a bird's eye-view of the entire Taipei. Its English name, Taipei 101, not only represents Taipei, but also means Technology, Art, Innovation, People, Environment, and Identity. The building also boasts the world's two fastest elevators, running at a top speed of 1,010 meters per minute, taking visitors from the main floor to the observatory on the 89th floor in less than 39 seconds. While in the building visitors can also visit the world-class shopping mall, which is located at the base of the complex. Like New York's Empire State Building and Paris's Eiffel Tower, Taipei 101 Tower Building would most certainly attract numerous visitors to the cosmopolitan city of Taipei.

National Palace Museum

Photographer: 蕭綱侯 The Taipei National Palace Museum is a world-class museum that hosts an eclectic collection of treasures kept by generations of Emperors ruling from the Forbidden City. In World War II, Nationalist troops seized the most important pieces in order to prevent invaders from ransacking China's national treasures. A twist of fate eventually brought these treasures to Taiwan. The Taipei National Palace Museum is designed in the style of a Northern Chinese palace. The museum is home to hundreds of thousands of historical relics that make up the world's most comprehensive and precious collection of ancient Chinese artifacts. The entire collection covers 5,000 years of China's historical and artistic achievements.

Yingge

Photographer: 葉英晉 Yingge was called Geshi in the past, because there was a bird-shaped stone near the town. After World War II, the government named this place. After reconstruction, the old street has become a modern street, along which are pottery and porcelain shops. Though the old street no longer has its antique looks, some ancient buildings can still be found in Yingge Town. The new street is paved with beautiful rocks. Visitors can not only appreciate the pottery and porcelain works, but they can also enjoy the street performance and coffee on the street. There are over 100 stores on the street. The products were pretty much the same in the past, but now the shops have their own workshops and artists. Each shop has its own characteristics and the pottery works are exquisite and refined. Some of the restaurants will give diners the cups or plates they use for free. Even the ice cream stand has lovely mugs and cups for customers to choose from. Besides purchasing the pottery and porcelain products, you can even learn how to make your own pottery works.

Jiufen

Photographer: 蕭綱侯 It is said that long time ago there were only nine families in Jiufen. Before the roads on land were built, all materials were transported via ships. Thus a habit was formed that nine pieces of same object were purchased at one time for reservation. Hence, the place was called Jiufen. Jiufen used to be the center of gold mining. It is located within the hills in northeast of Taiwan. The village is next to the mountain and facing the sea. In 1890, someone struck gold near Jiufen. The poor village with only nine families soon attracted prospectors of 4,000 families. The village once was gold city of Asia and called little Shanghai or little Hong Kong. However, with the decline of gold mining activities, Jiufen fades. Later, several movies chose to shoot here and the movies won international acknowledgement. For example, the film the Sad City has won first prize in Venice Film Festival and awakened people's memory of Jiufen. It seems that the prosperous old streets, buildings, mines and the glamorous gold digging days are flashing before our eyes. The place is whispering its golden past. Now, there are many unique teahouses in Jiufen. These teahouses are best stops during visit to this mountain village. Also, there is the beautiful ocean view of Keelung outer sea.

Notice: All pictures are resources from Tourism Burea, Repunlic of China (Taiwan) at http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/.

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