Taiwan - Taipei by Aaron 台北

Wonderful Time in Taipei

- Aaron

Taipei Day 1

Shi-men Ting, The Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall, Dr. Sun-Yatsen Memorial Hall

Shilin Presidential Residence, Beitou Hot Spring Museum,

Tamsui Old Street, Tamsui Fisherman's wharf, Shilin Night Market

Taipei Day 2,

Taipei Zoo, National Palace Museum

Taipei 101 and City Hall

Presidential Residence

     Taipei (台北) was an awesome place. The Taipei 101 is excellent, and the City Hall lies nearby. The Presidential Residence (总统府) is amazing, even though nobody (except a few) can go inside.  Its architectural structure is Baroque style, not the Chinese style like others. Taipei is a very fun city.

Guard changing ceremony at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Statue of Chiang Kai-Shek

ethics, democracy, science

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

    The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂) is full of facts. He was the first president of Taiwan from 1948 until his death in 1975. There are 89 steps, one for each year up to his death at age 89. The Taiwan flag, a red flag with a blue sky and white sun in its top left corner, is also shown. There is a statue of Chiang Kai-Shek (蒋中正) in the middle of the hall. The 3 principles, ethics, democracy, science （科学，民主，理论）, are engraved on the wall behind the statue. It had just began by the time we started watching the special hourly guard changing ceremony when the 2 guards on duty switched with the other two guards who rested. The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall has many interesting things.

Freedom Square, viewed from Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Ceiling of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall from above

    The Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (国父纪念馆) was very exciting. It was finished in May 16, 1972.  It is a memorial for the Republic of China's National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. It has a statue of him in the middle of the hall. Like the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, it also has a guard changing ceremony. This memorial hall is very great.

The statue of Dr. Sun-Yatsen

One of the 2 guards on duty

Car with EG0123 on license plate
Sorry we covered the license plate

Statue of frog

inside the garden

    The Shilin Presidential Residence (士林官邸) is very exciting. The first president Chiang Kai-Shek and his wife  Madame Chiang, Soong Mei-ling used to worked and lived in the house at the top of a small hill. Both lived in the Official Residence from 1950 to 1975. The entrance has the car (its brand is Cadillac) of Madame Chiang with a license plate reading EG0123. They grew gardens together. The president planted many flowers because Madame Chiang loved flowers. Roses were one of Madame Chiang's favorites. After his death, Madame Chiang moved to New York. The house was still left in its original form and the garden was opened to visitors. The Shilin Presidential Residence was very nice.

Shilin Presidential Residence house sitting on the top of a hill

The boardwalk in Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf

One of the last moments of the sunset in the Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf

Statue of Dr. Mackay

introduced Western medicine

and set up schools for Tamsui

octopus balls (章鱼小丸子)

   Tamsui Old Street （淡水老街）is the perfect place for viewing the sun set down behind the pink and orange clouds. My mom managed to get a few pictures just before the sun went down in the Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf（淡水渔人码头）. The food there was also very tasty. We ate octopus balls (章鱼小丸子) with seaweed, red bean pancakes, and custard pancakes. Tamsui is a very cool place with delicious food and pretty scenery.

Sunset in the Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf

Shilin night market with huge crowds

Strawberry snow cone

fried chicken larger than my face

    The Shilin night market (士林夜市)was fantastic. Our drink was water with frog eggs turned into jelly. The fried chicken was delicious and even larger than my face (比脸大鸡排). We also bought bean, pudding, and strawberry snow cones. The Shilin night market was a top choice for dinner.

Unique bird house exit

Penguins

Statue of panda holding baby

   The Taipei Zoo was very cool. However, we bumped into a big field trip, so it took a long time to be able to see the animals. The animals were all amazing. There was a panda and a statue of one holding its baby in the panda house. The panda was called Yuan Zai. Yuan Zai liked to play around. Many birds, like the scarlet ibis, cranes, flamingos, and pelicans, can be found in the huge Bird House. Snakes and other reptiles were in the Reptile House. Living penguins were actually inside the zoo! The Taipei Zoo is very fabulous.

Panda Yuan Zai

National Palace Museum

Along the river during the Qingming Festival

Jade screen

    The Palace Museum has many real artifacts from ancient China. Its most famous artifact is the jade cabbage (翠玉白菜). Unfortunately, the cabbage had moved to another location for a temp display, so we were unable to see it. This museum also has jade pork belly. The jade screen was very beautiful and all 7 layers have a different design. There is a whole room displaying  several versions of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" (清明上河图), painted by different artists during Ming and Qing Dynasties. We didn't see the original by Zhang Zeduan during the Song Dynasty （it's kept in the Beijing National Palace Museum). The painting shows what a city looked like during the Qingming Festival. The Palace Museum is full of wonderful treasures.

Jade cabbage and jade pork belly

Along the River During the Qingming Festival (清明上河图)

    In April 1742, a poem was added at the right end of the Qing copy. The poem was probably composed by the Qianlong Emperor. The poem reads:

Original		Pinyin	Literal translation
蜀錦裝金壁 吳工聚碎金 謳歌萬井富 城闕九重深 盛事誠觀止 遺踪借探尋 當時誇豫大 此日歎徽欽		Shǔjǐn zhuāng jīn bì Wú gōng jù suìjīn ōugē wànjǐng fù chéngquè jiǔchóng shēn shèngshì chéng guānzhǐ yízōng jiè tànxún dāngshí kuā Yù dà cǐrì tàn Huī Qīn	A wall of gold has been mounted on Shu brocade. Craftsmen from Wu collect spare change To pay tribute to the abundance of a myriad of families. The watchtowers of the city rise to great heights. The bustling scene is truly impressive. It is a chance to explore vestiges of bygone days. At that time, people marveled at the size of Yu, And now, we lament the fates of Hui and Qin.

Note: This poem is copied from the Internet.

    Taipei has many fun things to do and see. Taipei 101 is one of the most famous landmarks of Taiwan. The Presidential Residence is very lovely. The Beitou Public Library was delightful, until we found out there were no English books. Taipei is an amazing place to tour.

Taipei 101 lights up

 

Din Tai Fung Restaurant sits on 1st floor of Taipei 101