Taiwan – Taipei

I flew into Taipei Airport from Osaka in Japan on what was my first ever flight on Tiger Air.

The flight was quite cheap compared to others flying the route so I was apprehensive as to what was so different to make it so cheap.

It’s a budget airline that flies mainly around S.E. Asia and being six foor tall and looming over the average height local, I was afraid the seats would be built and spaced for locals rather than me. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the seats were fine, in fact, it felt I had slightly more room than with many European budget airlines.

Plus the fact that the whole operation was carried out efficiently and cordially by the airline, along with arriving on time etc. I’d look this airline up again for flights when in the area, as the price was cheap but the service and seat size were great.

Know Taiwan’s history before visiting

Ok, this can get a bit confusing as we delve into the rights and wrongs of interpretation and politics. I’ll give a brief overview of how this city came about and Taiwan itself, as you need to know its more recent context and be aware of subtle and sometimes aggressive overtones of what Taiwan itself has become or others claim it is.

You have to understand the below to understand what Taiwan is about.

We first hear about Taiwan in Chinese Emperor’s written history books and the island was called Liuqui (pronounced Lewchew in English).  Locally, it kept that name until Portuguese navigators sighted it in 1542 and called it Ilha Formosa (beautiful island). Formosa stuck in Western terminology for centuries. However, the Dutch created a trading settlement and called the area Taoyuan (pronounced almost like Taiwan) after a local tribe and thus an alternative name also existed. The three names were almost interchangeable according to who you spoke to.

After centuries of relative peace, the Chinese Emperor Qing ceded the island to Japan in 1895 who occupied it until it lost WW2 in 1945, when mainland China took it back.

Here’s the complicated bit. After China overthrew the Emperor in 1911, there was constant internal strife and civil battles. Eventually the rival Communist Party (under Moa Tse-tung) overcame the Kuomintang Government (under Chiang Kai-Shek) and the Govt fled to Taiwan in 1949, in defeat and stayed there. We will see more on Chiang Kai-Shek later

The Communists never invaded the island to finish off the old govt but still claimed  the island. The left overs of the old Govt called itself the true “Republic of China” and China called itself “The People’s Republic of China” – confusing, eh?

They still officially go by these names but we know the island state as Taiwan. It’s been recognised by only a few countries – who encounter the wrath of mighty China who say they own the island and the inhabitants are just a bunch of rebels. Taiwanese people in the majority declare themselves a seperate nation (passports, currency etc) and seek international recognition.

Unlike China, it has been a fully-fledged, elected, free democracy since the 1990’s, with its own institutions and government and home to some 24 million people.

China decries any voice of independence from Taiwan and is constantly threatening action if Taiwan ever actually calls for official independence …… it’s got that in all but name however.

There, history lesson over!

Taipei

So, Taipei, is a city of some 2.6 million people, (around 7 million if you include the actual metropolitan area) and it’s the capital of Taiwan. It’s the biggest economic, political and cultural hub on the island and sits at the north of one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Coincidentally, Taipei translates as “Northern Taiwan”

A few fascinating facts about Taipei

It is the 15^th most visited city in the world by tourists.

For its size the economy is huge – it sits just behind Tokyo and Hong Kong in Importance. It has virtually no unemployment and low inflation. A third of the population of Taiwan reside here.

Its famous skyscraper – Taipei 101, was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010

The city produces a higher GDP wealth that London or Paris and has 30 resident billionaires – more than Los Angeles or Sydney.

A recent survey ranked Taipei as the smartest technology city in the world.

Quite an achievement for one city – no wonder the Chinese want to get their hands on it!

Where I stayed in Taipei

I noticed that Taipei has an extensive “central area”, well served by Metro lines and thus the choice of where to stay was fairly obvious.

This time I did not need to worry about where the nearest Metro line would be to take me around the city – most central areas were within 10 mins walk of one of the many lines.

In this regard, Taipei was similar to Tokyo and Osaka where I had been in the previous weeks during my long trip around this region of S E Asia.

There was a great choice of hotels, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a big selection to chose from and the prices were much cheaper than what I had just paid for in Japan.

I searched for 4 star hotels and filtered by price. The hotel I chose came out as 4 star in some guides and 3 star in others so I was a little confused what its eventual quality would be. The price was also really low and that set alarm bells off …. but I persevered.

It had many reviews, with the majority giving it a great thumbs up. It was about 7-10 mins walk from three different Metro stations, so ideal. It was also slap bang in the centre, so near (using Metro travel), everything I wanted to see.

I Google Earthed it and saw that it did have a major road right outside the front with an elevated highway as well. Not the best view but I would be concerned about traffic noise. My usual request for a quiet room, even at the back of the hotel would be the request I would make on booking.

As it turns out the road was not that busy anyhow and the noise not even discernible at the entrance area. I requested on check in, and got, a room at the side of the hotel for quietness, albeit with no view (views never bother me anyhow as I’m not in the room long enough to need it).

Turns out for the price this hotel was great, quite cheap and very comfy and decent. The only quibble was that the info said it has a restaurant – it didn’t – and the receptionist was surprised when I asked where it was. Expedia (I am a Gold Plus member) however looked into it and gave me compensation for having to go off-site to eat, which I really didn’t want to do. Maybe that’s why it’s 3 star in some guides.

Hotel Hsuanmei Boutique Hotel

The hotel itself looks from the seventies on the outside and the interior was more nineties – but very clean and comfy. I noticed it seems to have had a makeover recently however. The outside had beautiful large potted bonsai trees that invoked a local feel and the marbled steps and entry gave it quite a grand first impression.

The reception area has a small sofa area for waiting and a big stand with tourist leaflets and info which I found quite useful.

The receptionist spoke good English and was helpful.

To the side was a pleasant, basic, cafe-style breakfast room, quite small for what I thought was a big hotel but at every breakfast time there was still plenty of availability of tables and the food was excellent. Lots of Taiwanese breakfast foods also so it was interesting to try something different from my usual Western brekkie foodstuffs (of which there were also plenty).

The room was great. I requested a quiet room and they placed me away from the front of the hotel and what I perceived would be traffic noise. It had an almost Japanese/retro 30s feel which I quite liked and unusually had stylish wallpaper which I also loved.

The bed was big and so comfy and the room size decent considering that I had opted for the cheapest room in the hotel. Big TV, great wifi, plenty of sockets and even a workdesk …. What more could I want?

The bathroom was modern enough and clean and had a large walk-in shower cubicle – big enough for two, which was such a delight after the pod sized bathrooms/showers of Japan.

I would recommend this hotel for a decent, quiet, comfy, inexpensive hotel room, minutes from Metro lines in the centre of the city. Just check if they operate a restaurant now, if you want it. A quick look online says they have one, even on its own website. Here’s a link to their website 

Bangka Lungshan Temple Taipei

My first visit to a site in Taipei was favoured to be a highlight. I had read a lot about the intricacy and detail of this temple and so wanted to see it.

It was so easy to get to. I walked 10 mins to the nearby blue line (the lines have long Chinese names but I go with the colour as its easier!), along well maintained, wide and clean pavements lined with modern buildings, and took the train 5 stops and got out.

Outside right in front is the Temple area – easy.

The exterior frontage has a concrete floor open air space with trees and bushes at various points. The whole area is lined by a columned promenade filled in at various points with small shops and walkways.

Nearby was a large fountain spurting high pressure water columns into the air. The spray was being caught up in the wind so everyone was standing well back to avoid getting a soaking!

The design at first confused me as I couldn’t make out if it was a Plaza, a garden or a small shopping mall but I wandered through the extensive layout towards the centre.

The front gates again were surprising – the street-side gateway had square concrete pillars supporting a more traditional. ornate. curved roof section. I wondered if I was at the site of an ancient temple

Once through this gate you enter into a paved forecourt with a clearly man-made cascading waterfall to the right. The waterfall does look a little out of place next to the backdrop of big residential blocks and traffic-heavy streets but it was being enjoyed by the families and kids running around in front of it.

To my left was a pool with foliage and small sculptures of what looked like snakes and fish, again slightly artificial and unusual for me.

So, Bangka Lungshan Temple or Lungshan Temple of Manka, or Mengjia Longshan Temple – take your pick as it goes by several similar names – has been around since 1732. It was built by settlers from mainland China in honour of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.

It is actually a Chinese Folk Religion Temple – and for me was a curious religion as I had never heard of it before despite its quite widespread following. The religion incorporates elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism along with spirits, deities, nature aspects and a sense of order.

Whilst not being able to get to grips with the true meaning of the religion, once through the slightly Disney-esque (for me) forecourt, the site itself is an absolute wonder of creativity, colour, architecture and history.

Like so many temples and famous buildings in this part of the world, what you see is not entirely original. It also suffered severe damage and subsequent rebuilding in fires, earthquakes and even aerial bombing by the Americans during WW2. They bombed it in the belief that the Japanese incumbents were using it to store armaments.

The “original” entrance comes into view once through the more modern version of a gateway. Terracotta tiled curved edge roofs with designs of swirling serpents, spikes and adornments cover every rooftop.

Underneath are a multitude of red framed rooms containing icons and religious artefacts. Gold coloured incest stands are everywhere and the strong smell and smoke of burning incense sticks fills the air.

Interior columns and sculptured ceilings adorn the insides of the rooms. Worshippers bow repeatedly while quietly reciting verses or prayers with burning incense sticks grouped in their hands and then place them in the public stands.

Tourists throng the place as well. So many people are taking photos, while mixing in with the worshippers, that it seems slightly disrespectful.

I stood back, not wanting to get in the worshippers’ way and waited for quieter moments to take my pics.

On the way out I saw the huge tables groaning with offerings to the Gods.

Not only were there fruits and prepared foods but also more practical offering of bottles of water, cooking oil and flowers. Quite a feast and banquet and I did wonder what happens to all the food at the end of the day.

The Temple itself is not huge and there are clearly a lot of tourists wanting to see one of the major sites of Taipei, so do wander slowly and wait for clearings to take pics and see the building better. It is a concentration of gloriously embellished buildings.

This was quite an introduction to Taipei on my first day!

Presidential Office Building

I was expecting a Chinese influenced building style but what greeted me was something very different. This is a building with European influences of Renaissance and Baroque styles from the 1910’s

It actually took 7 years to build from 1912 when Taiwan was under Japanese control. It was the Provisional Government’s Offices and was actually designed in Tokyo.

The cream and reddish tones of its structure is certainly a sight that is so different to anything around it. The central slim tower does look slightly overlarge at 11 storeys when the rest of the building is around 5 storeys high. In fact, the original design only had a 7 storeys tower.

Despite being hit several times and severely damaged during WW2, the structure survived,

When Japan lost the War and Taiwan was handed back to the Chinese under the then Govt of Chiang Kai-Shek, it was converted into a military HQ.

As I have commented on before Chiang Kai-Shek’s govt was overrun and the remains of it moved to the island in refuge. In 1950 the building became the new Presidential Office of the govt in exile. It has stayed that way ever since.

You can go inside on tours – click here for tour website

228 Peace Park

Right next to the presidential Palace across the road is a large open green space full of trees, lawns, ponds and monuments called 228 Peace Park.

You may think that is a strange name for a park but its name refers to the events of February 28 (2 28) in 1947.

On that date civilians began a street protest after a street confrontation with govt officials gainst the harsh govt of the day (still Chiang Kai-Shek’s Kuomintang political Party). The people revolted over the severe corruption, unemployment and inflation of the time.

They took over the radio station in the park to broadcast anti-govt views. The day after the Govt started repressing any demonstrations and shooting into the crowds and rounding up for torture and execution many civilians.

The uprising eventually resulted in the whole island being taken over by the people and a committee formed and demands sent to the authorities.

However, the govt delayed until army forces arrived from the mainland and they launched into a massacre of counter attack that claimed over 18,000 lives.

It started a period called the “White Terror” as martial law was declared, which lasted for over 38 years. The repression, tortures and human rights abuses became a stain on Taiwan’s history.

The 228 Peace Park was established in 1998 as a memorial park to the day’s events and the following events.

The main memorial is a modernist double, open, cube design. It has a slim modern interpretation of a pagoda at its centre and a long inscription regarding the event and how people must come together in respect and community.

It was designed by a person who was imprisoned and tortured during the White Terror period.

It also has a traditional open pagoda set in the middle of a lake that is a big tourist attraction for photo opportunities due to its picturesque setting.

There is a also Taipei’s version of a peace bell and a further memorial to victims of the repression of the White Terror. The classical Greco-Romano building of the National Taiwan Museum is also in the park. To one side is also a huge-open, semi-circular concert area

The radio station that was taken-over at the start of the uprising was located here too. Today it is a museum to the 228 event.

The park is not huge but is a wonderful green oasis in the centre of the city, beautifully dedicated to tragedic past events. Well worth the stroll through for its peace and rememberence.

Liberty Square, Taipei 

From the park it is a graceful walk beside a huge 8 lane wide highway leading from the presidential Palace to the traditional remaining structure of the East gate of the city.

You walk down the avenue with the Taipei Guest house on one side – a grand mansion of a colonial Japanese and classic European style building. On the other is the more modern building, but still built in a sensitive old grand style, of the Dept of Foreign Affairs of the Govt.

Take a look at the east gate, huge as it is, it’s now somewhat overshadowed by nearby high-rise buildings and stands alone as the centre piece of a massive highway roundabout.

Look right and follow the wide avenue lined on one side by a long white wall surmounted by blue-purplish tiles. You eventually arrive at the huge 5 arched entrance to Liberty Square.

The open-air plaza is one of the biggest I have ever seen, if not the biggest.

Walk through the arches into a massive, concrete floored, open space and you see the National Theatre on one side and the National Concert Hall on the other. They are both virtually identical, humungous and built in traditional Chinese style. Both have beautiful terracotta-tiled angled roofs and red terraced columns and cannot fail to impress. They reminded me of the buildings in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in their size and prominence.

This whole area was developed into this superb space in the 1970s to be a central gathering place of the city. Today mass demonstrations. Festivals, parades etc are celebrated here. It’s so huge people even use sections to practice dance routines or martial arts routines. It is so huge they are hardly noticed.

The area is lined with massive green areas of flower beds, lawns, fish-filled ponds, manicured trees, walkways and a massively tall flagpole with the flag of Taiwan fluttering in the breeze.

Ahead of you lies what is probably the most important building in Taipei for many Taiwanese,

The walkway up towards it is long and as you approach from the distance the building becomes bigger and bigger until you arrive at it and realise it is actually the biggest building on the whole square

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Chiang Kai-Shek, the Taiwanese dictator/leader died on 5 April 1975 and a committee was formed to build a memorial Hall for him. It was to be designed in line with the Sun Yat-Sen mausoleum in Nanjing ,China, (the founder of the Kuomintang Party of the then Chinese govt).

Having previously visited that mausoleum many years ago I would say it is loosely along those lines but certainly not a copy.

This memorial Hall (he is actually buried in a villa type building in a military cemetary), took 5 years to complete.

The square, white-walled building is surmounted by an eight-sided, two-level, flat, pagoda style roof with blue tiles. The number eight is associated with good fortune and abundance.

The whole solid-looking building sits on a huge raised plinth with a double set of 89 steps rising to its summit (he was 89 when he died).

Inside the flag of the Kuomintang – a white sun edged with 12 triangular rays on a blue background – is painted into the carved ceiling.

A large bronze statue of Chiang in traditional Chinese robes, seated in a heavy carved chair, dominates the atrium Hall.

Inscriptions in Chinese fill the marble walls (unsure what they say as I can’t read Chinese).

Periodically a guard changing ceremony takes place, but there is a permanent presence of blue uniformed, silver-helmeted sentries on guard around the statue.

The overwhelming atmosphere is one of reverence and awe, certainly the visitors seemed in this state too.

Click here for the changing of the guard and opening times info.

Today many see Chiang as a brutal repressive dictator, others as a liberating soldier-leader. To many, he certainly represents the difference between the island govt he came to be isolated on, and the successor govt of Moa Tse-Tung who defeated him and was the forerunner of the present-day Chinese govt.

Taipei 101 Tower

To get to my next site I could have walked but it would take about an hour. I would happily do that through what was a clearly safe and modern city but today I had a lot to fit in so I opted for the Metro.

I hopped onto a train at the nearby Metro station across the road from the Memorial Hall, went 3 stops along on the red line and exited right opposite my next site.

At 508 metres tall with 101 storeys (hence its name) the Taipei 101 building was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010.

This magnificent structure, with its design based on a Chinese pagoda, can withstand the strongest of earthquakes and typhoons, that this part of the world is subject to.

Its green glass covered tower means more than just a colour. It is also officially recognised as the tallest “green-eco” building in the world.

On the outside you have to classically bend backwards to see the top, such is its height and admire the traditional Ruyi disc set in its side. A Ruyi is a traditional disc shape set in an instrument or building to give power and good fortune – this one is the biggest of its kind in the world.

As you see, my glazy pics show that today was a foggy and cloudy day and I was in trepidation as to if I was even going to see anything from the top today.

This iconic symbol of Taipei actually sits only 200m from an actual earthquake fault line but is known as one of the most stable buildings in the world. It has already survived, totally intact, a major earthquake since it construction.

The lifts whizz you up to the 89th floor observation deck in 37 seconds, at a speed of 60kph. Your ears pop at the speed – I felt it!

A 5.5 metre wide, internal metal ball that hangs through 5 floors of the internal structure, compensates any movement. You can even go to see the massive pendulum ball within the building as in the pic.

I had bought my ticket online in advance to ensure I did not miss the chance to go up to the observation deck on my restricted timescale trip.

The observation deck reminded of the one I visited in Osaka just a few days beforehand. Its floor-to ceiling windows and vast unobstructed floor space give you the perfect panoramic vistas across the surrounding land.

The traditional external Chinese embellishments that are not always visible from ground level, are more than human height, once next to them.

Once at the top I had the unbelievable experience of feeling above cloud level.

My fear of the clouds blocking any view was justified but what I got was swirling, passing clouds. They covered the view, then seconds later passed away, totally revealing the landscape of the city below. An amazing feeling and sight. It was as if the clouds were playing with me!

I got to see everything as the clouds consistently parted or moved on every minute or so. The constant revelations of the openings, to reveal the sights below for several minutes, were wonderful.

Here are several before and after pics that show that effect. I was feeling I was floating in the clouds and the occasional white-out of the view was actually enthralling and added to the experience,

The city lay before me and I could see out to the famous Elephant Mountains on the edge of the city, with clouds rolling over the heights.

I suddenly appreciated the lay of the land and could see how Taipei was in a flat valley with a central river running through it, and surrounded by mountains.

After about 30 mins of gazing at the captivating panoramas being revealed and then covered up by the swirling clouds, I decided I had seen all I needed. I wanted to descent to the base to explore more of what I had glimpsed on the way through it ,to reach the lifts to the observation deck.

Below the tower is an extensive shopping mall, mainly of high-end designer brands. The Mall was actually opened before the tower and was designed as part of the complex.

You need to go through the Mall to reach the ticket hall and elevators but I was not in a shopping mood today so just took some pics of the eye-catching facades and walkways.

The ticket price at 500 NTS or about £13 was worth it for the experience of being in what was once the tallest building in the world, sadly now only the 11^th. I found the price very reasonable – much less than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the present tallest building in the world at around £31.

My next sight was only 5-7 mins walk away. I left the Taipei 101 building and walked back to the Metro station I got off at, (conveniently called Taipei 101, World Trade Centre Station).

Next door was the World Trade Centre skyscraper and further along. the Taipei International Convention Centre (big again). I continued walking a few more metres to Guangfu Rd, turned right up that street and a few mins more walking and I was at the big entrance gates of my next site.

National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

Another one of the most important figures in Taiwan’s history.

A little history is needed here to explain who the revered person is. Born in 1866 to humble family circumstance he was initially educated in China, then moved to Hawaii to be with his brother at the age of 13. He studied and excelled academically in Hawaii, became proficient in English and all looked good for him.

However, his brother sent him back to China at 17 years old, fearing he was liable to take on Christianity as a religion. He then went to Hong Kong and studied medicine, graduated as a doctor and was actually baptized Christian later.

He grew tired of the then Chinese Emperor system and formed a revolutionary group with ambitions to overthrow the system.  He orchestrated several failed uprisings and escaped into exile in Japan and subsequently the USA, UK and Canada, while still raising money for his cause.

He lived in many countries and forged more uprisings, all unsuccessful until his leadership was brought into question.

Eventually an uprising in 1911, incidentally not orchestrated by Sun Yat-Sen, overthrew the Emperor dynasty and established a provisional Govt. They elected Sun Yat-Sen as its provisional President.

He stepped aside a year later when a different candidate was appointed, Then in China, began 10 years of internal conflicts, assassinations and military/political battles. His doctrine of the “three principles of the people” – nationalism, democracy and welfare, were still the overriding political statements of the party he now led – the Kuomintang.

By 1925, Southern China was united under him but the north still held out. However, Sun Yat-Sen’s ailing health meant he died of cancer in 1925 and was buried in a huge mausoleum near Nanjing in China. I went there several years prior – and it is huge!

Chiang Kai-Shek – his military commander took over from Sun and eventually in 1928 reunited the whole of China under the Kuomintang Govt. Not before expelling the Communist faction from the party which was later to rise up against him. As we know he later retreated to Taiwan when the Communists defeated him in battles to take over mainland China.

Thus Dr Sun Yat-Sen is seen as the first President of the Republic of China and the first leader of the ruling Kuomintang govt of China.

This Memorial Hall was set up in his memory in 1972 (three years before Chiang Kai-Shek died). Chiang laid the foundation stone and his funeral gathering was held here in 1975.

Ok, history lesson over but you needed to know this to understand who this hall is named after and why his memory is so important to the Taiwanese people.

The complex today has a huge exhibition Hall for displays and events, a library, a theatre, a performance hall, and a culture centre.

It also holds an exhibition of Sun’s life and the revolution he led. The gardens are extensive with colourful plants and an enormous lake called the Emerald Pond.

The main Hall holds a huge statue of a seated Sun Yat-Sen with Chinese calligraphy adorning the walls.

Every hour a ceremonial guard perform a changing of the guard ceremony. The event attracts big crowds – around 200 spectators when I was there, who watch in silence with cameras filming. The ceremony is poignant and intricately mastered with grand marching and choreography that is well worth waiting for.

You know when it is about to happen, on the hour, as suddenly latecomers hasten/run up the steps to get there in time and claim a space among the hordes assembling. The prestigious change of the guard lasts all of about 10 minutes and the crowd then instantly disappear around the complex, leaving the Hall virtually empty.

On the day I was there, there was a small art exhibition in one of the large rooms under the Hall. Being the arty person I am, I could not resist and found the display, whilst small, very interesting in its portrayal of modern and traditional art forms.

I just had to get a picture of this however. An example of Taiwanese efficiency at its best – a vending machine selling postcards …. I had to try it and it worked perfectly ….

My day was now finished and the sky was begining to dim. I had spent the whole day, till the early evening, walking and sightseeing and time had flown by. I had timed it right and now I just needed to head back to the hotel for a much needed rest after my first day here. I was so impressed with everything so far –  it all felt like Japan and China mixed into one, I couldn’t explain it properly.

I felt the orderliness and politeness of Japan but the traditional buildings, food and sights of China – as I say, mixed into one.

Day two in Taipei

I was up later than usual, as I had planned a somehat different schedule. Breakfast was good, plentiful and varied at the hotel and I was probably one of the last to leave the breakfast room as they began winding down service.

Today would be a more relaxing day, as I only had two places to explore on my itinerary and I wanted to take it easy.

After the heavy sightseeing of Japan the previous 10 days, I wanted Taipei to be a more relaxing time. I had done a lot on my first day alone and now the pace would slow down.. I was also well aware that after Taiwan, my next stop in Seoul, South Korea, was going to be very heavily packed with so much more to see, spread over much more of the city and I needed to be ready for that!.

My first site would be another easy trip to get to.

I walked the 7 mins to my nearest green line Metro Station, went one stop, changed onto the red line, went 3 stops and exited. There, a minute from the exit, was my first site of the day.

Taipei Confucius Temple

This temple was constructed in 1879, although at first glance appears much, much older.  In truth, it was destroyed during the Japanese occupation of the island from1895. What we see today is a complete copy-rebuild from 1930.

The entrance is through a rather plain brick entrance with an ornate embellished roofline. The outside is lined with what looks like Disneyesque dwarf impersonations of white-haired, traditionally robed, old men, quite cute but strangely out of place for me. Where they supposed to represent Confucius?

Inside, the big open space reveals a small pond with a decorative bridge against a semi-circular painted and roofed wall.

Look over to the left and you see the first entrance area to the temple

The Temple was built along the lines of the original first Confucius Temple in Qufu, China but has a unique characteristic. The highly coloured applique on the tiles is a traditional southern Chinese design not seem in other parts of China.

For me, the embellished and finely carved columns of serpents with the decorative rooflines of the temple buildings was what stood out. They were so ornate and colourful.

Those vibrant blues, greens and yellow really stand out in its ornamentation and that design is also replicated on the walls near the semi-circular water feature in the front entrance area of the complex.

Confucian Temples are usually quite austere but these colours brighten it up and makes up for the lack of adornments otherwise.

The pitched roofs of terracotta tiles with dagger like spikes at each end give the roofline a unique aspect. They are also highly decorated with swirls of serpent shapes and spirals. Roofline austere this Temple is not!

In the main Hall is a black plaque, inscribed with gold lettering with the words “Educate without discrimination”. It was placed here by Chiang Kai-shek himself and is one of the main things to see here.

I wandered the grounds and temple almost alone and I could hear the birds chirping in the gardens and from the rooftops. Such a sense of tranquillity and peace. You would never know that I was in the centre of a major world city.

Along each side of the complex was a series of decorated rooms with ornate interlocking roof beams and wall displays. At various points a ceremonial hanging drum or bell came into views, often on gloriously painted frames.

The fretwork on doors, menacing carved serpents slithering round tall columns and panels of colours on walls were all captivating.

One section had rooms with displays forming a small museum explaining the teachings and ceremonies involved in Confucianism and pamphlets were available to take away and read further. Various panels explained more.

The temple grounds themselves are quite small, taking 10 mins to walk around but like me, do take more time – stop, investigate rooms, see the displays and walk the gardens to get the full benefit.

My next site to vist was across the road – literally! I could see the entrance to its frontal park from the exit of the Temple grounds. This walk was so easy, two sites next door to each other!

Dalongdong Baoan Temple

The original wooden temple was constructed here in 1742 and intended as a place of to worship the Emperor Baosheng. When built, it was situated in a village out of the precincts of present-day Taipei.

It was called the” Po-an” (Baoan) or “Dalang Pump Palace” or “Dao Gong Temple”. Take your pick but today Dalongdong Baoan is the more commonly used title.

In 1804 it was replaced with the structures we see today.

The initial grounds are about the same size as the Confucian Temple next door but it also contains a large frontal park area and a large outbuilding – more on that in a mo’.

You pass through two gateways to get into the main courtyard. One resembles a small house and the other more like a Japanese Tori with alternating roof-pitches on square tall stilts.

Once inside the main courtyard the whole complex is highly decorated. The central Hall looms grandly and illuminated paper lantern hang from many roof eaves.

The terracotta tiled roofs are again highly stylised with dagger like spikes at the roof edges and swirling designs along its edges.

The whole complex is lined on all four rectangular sides by many highly ornate prayer rooms.

Every surface is colourful and graceful and ancient Chinese styling stands out,

I loved the intricate window bars and fretwork and the highly embellished ceiling structures.

Various pots for placing scent sticks are placed around the walkways and people are stopping to pray at various sites.

The detail of the carvings, the colours and creativity are amazing. At every turn there was a new design and delight to wonder at.

The illuminations inside the what would have been dark rooms with heavy rooflines was so atmospheric.

I lost count of the number of side rooms, exquisitely decorated in golds and reds that were in use,

Small statues and figurines abounded and in many areas the crowds were quite dense until you got to the outer edges. The further flung areas, seemingly less visited by the tourists, were the more intricate and captivating for me.

This was what I always imagined a true stylised Chinese Temple would look like in my mind’s eye. Naively but definitely the best and most decorative I’d seen in Taipei.

Carry on through the complex and you kind of exit it at the opposite end but are lead into another huge decorated building.

This is actually the library with open subscription and you can climb the side steps to the top floor and have a marvellous view over the rooftops of the Temples below.

It also contained many side rooms with beautiful payer rooms, richly decorated with flowers, carved columns, candles and ornate sculptures.

There were richly painted scenes on walkways walls, creatively illuminated in the darkened areas.

The gold and bronze embossed walls with busts or robed and dressed figures are mesmerizing. I was here in this part, almost alone and it was perfectly acceptable as various staff etc passed by me.

So many people were missing out of the sights on this library’s exterior and open floors – I felt so happy to have discovered it by myself.

Taipei streetscenes

What did surprise me about Taipei was the amount of skyscrapers the city has – and some very tall ones at that. Areas of the city resembles more a modern metropolis than the older more traditional styles of buildings I was expecting.

These pics also show that trees were often a feature of the streets. I loved the greenery that I saw in the city to counter-balance the somewhat heavy traffic conditions.

Later today I wandered by a big shopping mall near the main central station. It was full of eateries and I knew my hotel did not have an evening restaurant (despite, as I previously reported, advertising that it did on Expedia).

I found a food court in the Mall and enjoyed a simple takeaway style food meal that would keep me going until breakfast before I arrived at the hotel later this evening.

On the way out I noticed the signs above directing me to another restaurant area. It had a sign that must be instagrammed many times as an example of, when in a foreign country, you see in sign in English, that has missed the correct translation and turned it into something funny.

I never did find out how “classy” those restaurants were in that area!

My thoughts on Tapei

I had naively thought of Taipei as a low -rise city, despite knowing that it once had the tallest building in the world here.

The city was much more modern and up-to-date than I thought. I now know why it is classed as the most tech savvy city in the world. Pristine streets and buildings in true Japanese style.  A wealth of truly magnificent old Temples and enchanting shrines.

It is a well- planned city with some huge open air plazas adorned with wonderful ceremonial buildings and the parks are beautiful. Even modern grand building and structures, as in Liberty Square, are built in traditional styles to compliment the surrounding area.

I loved this city – and if I am being political – hope it manages to maintain its independence, uniqueness and freedoms.

Nov 2017

Below are some related posts on nearby places to visit. Click on the pic to view.