Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is an imposing tomb and shrine to Taipei's most famous leader and it also houses Taipei's main venues for the performing arts, the National Theatre and National Opera House in its large grounds.
Things to see in Taipei
Tourist offices
Address: 9F, 290 Jungshiau E Road, Section 4, Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 2349 1500.
eng.taiwan.net.tw
The Longshan Temple is the city's most atmospheric Taoist temple. Curling dragons, wafting incense and burning paper ‘ghost money' are only some of the things you can experience here while understanding the importance of temples to the locals.
As shopping and eating are the top entertainments in Taiwan, good places to experience these are at the many night markets dotted throughout the city. Many stay open until midnight. ShihLin night market (Wenlin Road, Datung Road and Pingan Road, ShihLin District) is the largest, while Huashi Street Night Market (Snake Alley, between Siyuan Road and Huanhe South Road) a few paces from Lungshan Temple, is the most famous. It sells everything from snake soup and painted umbrellas to shoulder massages.
Built at the tallest building in the world in 2004, Taipei 101 offers 101 floors of entertainment and consumption - the Taiwanese idea of heaven. Everything is here - bars and restaurants, a health club, cinema and designer boutiques. While you're there, take the fastest lift in the world up to The Observatory for the ultimate city view.
Located in the verdant hills on the outskirts of Taipei, The National Palace Museum is home to more than 650,000 priceless Chinese artefacts - the world's largest collection. The main exhibition, including the famous Jadeite Cabbage, follows an interesting and easily interpreted timeline through China's dynasties to the present day.
The Wisteria Tea House is an authentic, if somewhat expensive, Chinese tea house. It is also where Ang Lee shot the film Eat, Drink, Man, Woman. The garden, one of Taipei's most historic sites, is filled with heaps of wisteria and also features a koi pond.
The Beitou Museum was originally a hotel under Japanese occupation, then an antique house and then finally a museum when it was reconstructed in 1984. It features over 5,000 artefacts of traditional folk art including aboriginal art and embroideries. It remains one of the largest, free-standing, wooden houses dating from the Japense occupation in Taiwan.
Set in an abandoned wine factory and discovered in 1997 by a theatre group who originally used the space for experimental performances, this cultural centre still stages live music and theatre performances, as well as housing an independent cinema. Other attractions include restaurants and shops selling quirky products. Check the website for details on exhibitions.
The Maokong Gondola is a cable car that enables passengers to soar over mountain tops above brightly coloured temple roofs below. There are a range of routes beginning at different stations and bringing you past various sites including two temples and the Taipei Zoo.
Built in 1930 on the site of an earlier temple, this memorial to the famous philosopher is an excellent example of Southern Chinese and Fujian-style architecture and has a quiet, elegant simplicity. Guided tours and audio tours in various languages are available, and informational displays are in English too, so visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the man himself as well as his teachings. There's a tea house in the grounds.
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