A city with an obscure status and interesting history, Taipei is definitely worth a visit. The Chinese communists consider it the main city of Taiwan as a province of the PRC, and independent Republican Taiwanese consider it their own capital. Regardless of which side he is on, Taipei is able to impress any tourist. This city is growing and developing rapidly, residents fill it so tightly that there is nowhere for an apple to fall (and there are still tourists), students come here from all over the island, and above all this, the hulk of the Taipei 101 skyscraper pierces the sky. Taipei is the embodiment of the Taiwanese economic miracle, a city of industry and economy, and if not yet the city of the future, then very close to it. You only need to take a ride on the Taipei subway (it’s hard to believe that it only opened in 1996) or take a look at Ximending to believe it. Check andyeducation to learn more about China.
Taipei is the embodiment of the Taiwanese economic miracle, a city of industry and economy, and if not yet the city of the future, then very close to it.
History
The Chinese began to settle in Northern Taiwan in what is now Taipei in the early 18th century, and by the end of the 19th century, the city had become the main Chinese enclave on the island. Last but not least, thanks to the port of Tamsui, from where tea was exported. The northern part of the island formed an autonomy in 1875, and in 1886 Taipei became the capital of the Chinese province of Taiwan. After 1895, Taipei became a colonial Japanese administrative center, but in 1945, when Japan lost in World War II, the city fell under the control of the Kuomintang. In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek declared Taipei his temporary capital, and after that the city began to develop and grow rapidly. By our time, it has become one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and the population here continues to grow steadily.
How to get there
Most of Taiwan’s international flights are received by Taoyuan Airport in the city of the same name. In the very center of Taipei, Songshan Airport is located, where planes arrive from Taiwan, Tokyo Haneda Airport, Seoul Gimpo Airport and about 15 cities in China.
Entertainment and attractions in Taipei
Unfortunately, little remains from the reign of the imperial Qing dynasty in Taipei: these are only the northern city gates. True, there are still eastern and southern ones, which also stand still, but their appearance has changed a lot during the Kuomintang. Those who come here should understand that they are going to look not at the ancient, but at the modern, rapidly growing city.
Taipei is a city of night markets. The most popular of them is Shilin Market.
The first city attraction is, of course, the Taipei 101 skyscraper with the corresponding number of floors. Its height with a small spire exceeds half a kilometer. Today, this skyscraper, built in 2003, is the sixth tallest in the world (however, this picture is constantly changing, and in China the skyscraper that will push Taipei 101 even further is almost ready). The building also holds the absolute record for the speed of elevators: you can climb to the top of Taipei 101 at a speed of 60 km / h. Thus, ascending to the observation deck on the 89th floor will take about 40 seconds.
Shopping centers are located on the first floors of the skyscraper, the upper part of the building is given over to offices. Taking into account the fact that Taipei 101 is located in an earthquake-prone area, during its construction, elements were added to the structure that give it unimaginable strength: what is one pendulum ball weighing 660 tons, which is suspended at the top of the skyscraper, at a height of about 80- th floor. With other precautions taken into account, Taipei 101 is called one of the most durable human structures in the history of the world. And its color is also interesting: because of the special glasses that protect those inside from the sun, the skyscraper looks blue-green.
The second main attraction of Taipei is the memorial to Chiang Kai-shek, the former president, built in a traditional style with a pagoda-type triangular roof. It stands on Freedom Square, surrounded by a theater and a concert hall. In the perspective of the square one can see the Presidential Palace.
The second significant memorial monument in Taipei is the Sun Yat Sen Memorial.
The Imperial Palace Museum is sometimes called the Gugong Museum in a different way (but this is confusing, since the museum in Beijing bears the same name). This huge museum is the seventh most visited in the world. It was opened in 1925 in Beijing, but after the civil war, most of the collection was shipped to Taiwan. It houses an outstanding collection of historical and cultural artifacts illustrating the entire unspeakably long history of China from the sixth millennium BC to the present. e. There are almost 700 thousand exhibits in the museum’s funds, the oldest of which date back to the Neolithic, and the newest – to the period of the overthrow of the last imperial dynasty of China, the Qing. Here you can see amazing paintings, calligraphy samples, jade figurines, fine Chinese porcelain, bronze figurines, as well as ancient documents and books.
Another interesting museum in Taipei is the art museum. This is a fairly new museum, which emphasizes the architectural appearance of the building it occupies. The collection contains mainly works by local artists from the post-World War II period. There is also a Museum of Modern Art in Taipei: it opened in 2001 in an old government building.
In the northern part of the city near Mount Yanshan is the famous Taipei Zoo, founded in 1914. This is the oldest and largest zoo on the island. 90 hectares of its territory are open to visitors, but in reality the zoo is almost twice as large. It is divided into several zones: fauna of Taiwan, South Asia, desert, Africa, Australia, birds, insects, penguins and pandas. Among the curious animals that can be seen here are koalas, emus, Himalayan bears, pangolins. More than four million people visit the zoo every year.
In order to soak up the atmosphere of Taipei, you need to go to Ximending. This pedestrian area (the first on the island) is located in Wanhua District. Ximending is not only the most fashionable, youth, shopping and entertainment place in the city, but also the center of Japanese culture in Taipei: even its name comes from the Japanese word “seimon-cho” (that is, “west gate quarter”). This is the best place in the city to break your head, choosing a cafe, restaurant or a souvenir for your family.
The temples of the city also deserve attention. One of the oldest is the Longshan Temple, built in the first half of the 18th century. Also famous is Baoshan, built at the beginning of the 19th century, and the Confucian temple of the second half of the 19th century standing next to it, the architecture of which copies the Confucius temple in Qufu.
