1-Old Taipei: Wanhua and Ximending
Wanhua is the cradle of Taipei’s
history and the north’s greatest collection of heritage sites, while Ximending,
a recreation district set up by the Japanese during the colonial period, is the
hub of the city’s youth culture. In times long gone the Taipei Basin was the
site of an inland saltwater lake, formed when tectonic heavings lowered the
ground, allowing the sea to rush in. About 400 years ago, the dawn of northern
Taiwan’s recorded history, the Basin was still a soggy area of marsh, wetland,
and swamp. Silting and draining have been extensive since then. The area that
forms present-day Wanhua, situated just downriver from where the Dahan and
Xindian rivers meet to form the Danshui, was originally the site of a Ketagalan
tribal settlement. This flatland-dwelling people dominated the Taipei Basin
before the arrival of the Han Chinese in the early 1700s. Huajiang Waterfowl Park
The 70-hectare (170-acre) Huajiang Waterfowl Nature Park 1 [map] (Huajiang
Yanya Ziran Gongyuan), by Huajiang Bridge, is the site of a grand reunion of
migratory birds, especially ducks, during the winter season. From September,
green-winged teals, northern shovelers, and other feathered beauties are found
in abundance in the marshes and on the mudflats fronting the dedicated
500-meter (1,640ft) long birdwatching path. There are many explanatory signs
along the way, though little English. Taipei’s riverside network of bicycle
paths, stretching 150km (90 miles) along the Xindian, Danshui, and Jilong
rivers, slides by here. The interlinked riverside parks and pathways are a
major component of the city’s Green Network initiative. Moving north along the
Danshui River to where the marsh ends, one finds the site of Wanhua’s original
port. Exit into Wanhua through the Guilin Road gate. The ugly cement dikes here
were built in the 1960s to protect the city’s communities from the typhoon
flooding that regularly ravages the Taipei Basin.
2-Old Taipei: Datong
Like many aging communities in other
modern cities, Datong District’s neighborhoods were left behind during Taiwan’s
modern economic progress. Redolent of the past, these areas are now attracting
notice for their living heritage. At the core of Datong District are two of
Taipei’s oldest communities, Dadaocheng and Dalongtong, both long ago absorbed
into the expanding city. In many ways, life goes on here as it did 100 years
ago. Everywhere one looks, one is staring at history, and the legacies of the
hardworking people that brought life to the place. Dadaocheng, Dadaocheng can
be literally translated as “large open space for drying rice in the sun.” In
the 1850s, the lower sections of the Taipei Basin had been taken over by Han
Chinese farming folk. Along the stretch of the Danshui River occupied today by
the Taipei metropolis sat two thriving Chinese market settlements, each with
over 10,000 inhabitants: Mengjia, today called Wanhua (for more information, click
here), and Dalongtong (for more information, click here). Dadaocheng, the large
undeveloped area between these towns, was where farmers brought their rice to
spread out for drying. In 1853, old tensions between Chinese immigrant groups
erupted in Wanhua, this time with more blood spilled than ever before. The
losers – their homes, ancestral halls and places of worship in ruins –
straggled to Dadaocheng to begin life anew. Dihua Street The settlers’ leaders
were members of the merchant guilds, the de facto source of leadership among
the Chinese communities in Taiwan at the time, as imperial officials were not
present or not trusted. Each guild was made up of immigrants from the same part
of China. These men set up the standard commercial establishments of those
times in shophouses, on what has become today’s dynamic Dihua Street, the
spiritual and commercial center of Dadao-cheng. Exodus leader Lin You-zao’s
shophouse remains today, at No. 105, on the corner of Minsheng West Road, where
the Lin family still lives and runs the shop. Evidence of the bitter 1853
exodus is reflected in its name, Lin Fu Zhen (“Lins Restore Order”).
3-Old Walled City and Zhongzheng
Formerly the seat of authority for the
Qing and Japanese administrations in Taiwan, this area retains its grandeur
through its majestic old buildings, dignified monuments, and wide boulevards. The
core of Zhongzheng District is the Old Walled City (Gucheng). Built in the
early 1880s during the Qing dynasty, the east wall stretched along today’s
Zhongshan South Road, the south wall along Aiguo West Road, the west wall along
Zhonghua Road, and the north wall along Zhongxiao West Road. In preparation for
the naming of Taipei as capital of the newly created province of Taiwan in
1885, the walls were erected to house and protect the administrative seat of
power. The walls are long gone – torn down by the Japanese to facilitate troop
movement and improve public sanitation after they took over in 1895 – but the
sense of history lives on, as do four of the five original gates. The area is
characterized by grand and imposing architectural edifices erected by the
Japanese to engender awe and respect – or at least subservience – in their new
subjects, and to showcase the model colony, Japan’s first, for the Western
colonial powers watching. Today these buildings, all built in Western
architectural styles, continue to fulfill practical civic functions, and impart
an atmosphere of historical gravitas to the area. To the south of the Old
Walled City is a primarily residential area, with communities centered around
parks and gardens, most initiated by the Japanese on a grandiose scale. There
is little commercial activity in Zhongzheng, and nights bring a blanket of
quiet calm. Residents in need of raucous fun head west to Ximending (for more
information, click here), or east to the malls and department stores of Xinyi
District.
4-Central Taipei
Much of this area, while in a central
part of the city, is not exactly “downtown.” In fact, visitors looking to
experience a sampling of heritage, culture, or just some green open spaces,
will be amply rewarded. Taipei residents tend to think of the Zhongshan
District as the primarily open, green area of parkland on the southern bank of
the Jilong River. In fact, this central district, bounded in the south by Civil
Boulevard, covers a larger area. From the 1950s until the late 1980s,
tree-lined Zhongshan North Road was the epicenter of Taiwan’s fashion scene,
where the big clothing brands set up shop. The city’s international hotels were
also located here. But the temples of fashion have since migrated to the
boutique areas east, and the newest big-brand hotels are also being built in
the eastern business district. A stroll along Zhongshan Road from south to
north reveals an area with a slightly more genteel flair – perhaps giving a
better feel of the city’s pulse than its more frantic environs. Shandao Temple
(Shandao Si) was opened in 1935; one of seven major temple sites constructed by
Japanese Buddhists during the colonial period. Today it is the largest of the
city’s seven most important Buddhist temples. The nine-story structure is
architecturally quite unlike other Taiwan temples, faintly resembling a giant
funerary tower in its stark austerity. Inside, it also lacks much of the clamor
and jostle typical of other temples. There is a museum housing a first-rate
vault of Buddhist artifacts, ranging from the Northern Wei (386–534) to the
present. The pièce de résistance is undoubtedly a priceless Song dynasty
(960–1279) wooden icon of the Bodhisattva Guanyin that is exceedingly delicate
in line and texture (it is occasionally on loan to the National Palace Museum).
5-Taipei East
The city’s east end is about money;
this white-collar world pulses with the exuberance of those who know how to
make it and those who have the insatiable desire to spend it. Further east, the
skyscrapers give way to hillside tea plantations. Up to the early 1970s,
Taipei’s eastern district was largely an area of sugar-cane fields and rice
paddies. Then there was an upsurge of new construction on the east side of
Fuxing Road. Residents from the west flocked to the new facilities in search of
fun. Pacific SOGO Department Store went up in the early 1980s, attracting
myriad other entertainment and retail enterprises and establishing the area as
the city’s financial, commercial, shopping, and entertainment core. In the
mid-1990s, the remaining open area between Keelung Road and the mountains was
developed, and it is this, the Xinyi District, that is the city’s new heart and
the island’s definer of chic upscale fashion. The Dinghao shopping and
entertainment area is concentrated along the main thoroughfares and back-alley
mazes spreading out from the Dunhua North Road and Zhongxiao East Road
intersection. Dinghao translates as “top best.” The area grew eastward from
SOGO, and that department store remains its fulcrum. Accessed via key bus
routes and two MRT lines, this is the city’s prime area for people to link up
after work and on weekends. Here the visitor finds fashion boutiques serving
upscale customers, more youth-oriented outlets, quality restaurants and
inexpensive eateries, cinemas showing Western films, jewelry shops, art
galleries, and more.
6-Taipei South
Centered around two of the island’s
best colleges, this area has a slower, more bohemian, “university town” feel,
despite sitting in the busy city. Further south are Muzha’s popular tourist tea
plantations. The presence here of National Taiwan University and National
Taiwan Normal University – the island’s No. 1 and No. 3 post-secondary
institutions – means that many students and faculty members reside in this
area. There are also many foreigners, teaching or studying at various language
institutes. The presence of this educated crowd means an unusual number of
bookstores and shops that cater to the literati, selling paintings, calligraphy
sets, antiques, and such. A stroll along Heping East Road Section 1, by
National Taiwan Normal University, brings one past many such establishments,
the proprietors of which can most often speak at least some English. In the
area’s two big nightmarkets and in the neighborhood across Xinsheng South Road
from National Taiwan University, countless small eateries, pubs, cafés, and
teahouses have sprung up, catering to the limited-budget student crowd. In the
hills of Muzha in the far south of the city, tranquility and a slower pace take
center stage – at least once you have escaped the traffic in the city below and
squeezed your way into a parking spot near one of the many teahouses in the
plantations. On weekends and late nights, visitors stream uphill to enjoy a little
tea and scenery. (Daan Senlin Gongyuan) is one of Taipei’s newest parks,
created after the homes of a long-standing squatter community of
scrap-collecting families were razed in the mid-1990s after repeated warnings
and much protest (daily 24 hours; free). It offers a much-welcome respite from
the baking cement and asphalt of the surrounding city. At its core is an
amphitheater where free concerts are frequently staged on holidays, often
featuring well-known pop stars. Many exotic tree species have been planted
here, most labeled, providing botanical variety and many shady spots. Like
everywhere in Taipei, the place is very crowded on weekends and holidays, so
come early. The Jianguo Holiday Jade and Flower markets (for more information,
click here) are on its immediate northeast side, making for a nice weekend
outing.
7-Taipei North
North of the Jilong River, Shilin is a
land of museums, Tianmu is an expatriate enclave with an international flavor,
Beitou has long been known for its hot springs, and Neihu’s large open spaces
have acquired a variety of shops and attractions. The districts of Shilin,
Neihu, and Beitou are all found north of the Jilong River, and all the main
sights are within walking distance of – or a short bus ride away from – an MRT
station, making for a pleasant escape from the urban crush of the city center
without leaving the amenities of civilization altogether. Note that most of the
museums in the area lack detailed information in English, so be sure to take
advantage of English-language tours where possible. The Grand Hotel (Yuanshan
Dafandian), though a bit faded and frayed at the edges today despite
management’s ongoing best efforts, is indeed grand (1 Zhongshan N. Rd Sec. 4;
tel: 02-2886 8888; www.grand-hotel.org). Built in Ming dynasty palace style and
inspired by Beijing’s Forbidden City, the massive main structure supports the
largest Chinese roof in the world. The facade of this 530-room behemoth is
defined by towering red pillars and fronted by a pretty sculpted garden. The
ridge on which the hotel is perched was the location of the main Japanese
Shinto shrine in colonial days. The shrine was torn down in anger by the KMT –
as were most things too evidently Japanese – after World War II. The hotel,
started in the 1950s, was a pet project of Madame Chiang Kai-shek, who sought
to bring the city international stature. There are few better spots for
afternoon tea than the grand lobby. Its recessed ceiling of dragon and phoenix
bas-reliefs and its grand staircase flanked by sumptuous artworks will
transport you back to imperial days. Behind the hotel is a staircase that leads
to the peak of Yuanshan (Round Mountain). From here, the stirring views of the
city below resemble a scale model with tiny toy planes landing at Songshan
Airport.
8-Yangmingshan
Yangmingshan stands right on the
Taipei’s north doorstep and is Taiwan’s crowning national park, a mountain
oasis offering an accessible respite from the urban pressures of life in the
relentlessly bustling city over which it looks. The cluster of mountains that
forms the westernmost end of the Datun mountain range also forms the northern
wall of the Taipei Basin, in which the city sits. Known collectively as
Yangmingshan, or Mount Yangming, they were formed in a period of intense
volcanic activity about 2 million years ago. The days of geological excitement
are over, but the mountains still give vent to the thermal activity below, creating
Yangmingshan’s best-loved attractions – fumaroles and hot springs. Hot-spring
inns and public pools abound, and in winter the roads are packed into the wee
hours with those on their way to and from seeking relief for bones and joints. Most
tourist attractions lie along the Yang-Jin Highway (Yang-Jin Gonglu), which
stretches from Shilin District in north Taipei to the fishing port of Jinshan
on the North Coast. The highway is also called Yangde Boulevard on the Taipei
side. It slides through the saddle between Yangmingshan’s two highest peaks,
the 1,080-meter (3,543ft) Mount Datun on the west and the 1,120-meter (3,739ft)
Mount Qixing on the east. The journey from downtown Taipei to Yangming Park,
the starting point for most visits to the national park, takes about 45 minutes
by private vehicle. The primary attractions for overseas visitors are the
hiking opportunities, which open up green expanses, wide vistas, and a rich
variety of resident and migratory fauna. The pristine Yangmingshan National
Park (Yangmingshan Guojia Gongyuan) takes up the middle and higher reaches of
the mountain. The core of the national park is the lovely, sculpted Yangming
Park.
9-Danshui and Bali
These two river towns – one a former
military outpost and port, the other a sleepy fishing village – boast wide
waterfront concourses, bike paths, old-style shops and snacks, preserved colonial
and historical relics, and the world’s northernmost mangrove forest. Danshui,
an old port city about 20km (12 miles) northwest of Taipei, has enjoyed a dramatic
revival as a tourist attraction. In the old days, it took an hour to drive from
Taipei, and once there, the congested lanes and cluttered waterfront presented
formidable obstacles to even the most determined visitors. Times have changed.
The MRT now whisks visitors from downtown Taipei to Danshui in 30
air-conditioned minutes, and Danshui itself has become a tourist-friendly town
with wide waterfront concourses, abundant seafood restaurants, boat rides,
unique snacks, and carnival games. New attractions aside, it is still home to
the colonial-era forts, embassy, and other historical sites that first made it
famous. Meanwhile, across the river, an equally remarkable renaissance has
taken place in Bali, a once-sleepy town that now boasts its own tourist
attractions, including a waterfront bicycle path, a well-preserved mangrove
swamp, and the astounding Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology. Ferries ply the
placid Danshui River, carrying day-trippers back and forth between these two
tourist hubs, now Taipei’s most popular weekend getaways. Located at the mouth
of the Danshui, this spot and the nearby city of Keelung are where Taiwan’s
early Western colonists – the Spanish and the Dutch – made their landings.
Danshui’s high bluffs provided strategic views of river and ocean, and began to
be fortified in 1629. Under this protective umbrella, seaborne trade thrived,
and Chinese and other seafarers made regular visits. It was also a vital
watering stop (Danshui means “fresh water”) on the trade routes that connected
Hong Kong and Southeast Asia to Japan and the US. Additionally, its location on
a fertile stretch of seacoast supported a thriving fishing industry.
10-The North Coast and Keelung
This region is host to the sublime and
the surreal, and a synthesis of the two: a giant stone gateway formed by
millennia of lapping wave action, a temple whose main deity is a dog, a hilltop
tomb that sings for visitors, and miles and miles of coastline. Encompassing
the northernmost tip of Taiwan, this area is de-limited by the Danshui River in
the west and Keelung Harbor in the east. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and
the East China Sea. A line of extinct volcanoes still simmering down under, the
Datun Range, forms its back. This is the North Coast, with its crashing surf,
blue waves, fresh ocean catches, and the most bizarre and beautiful stone
sculptures crafted by Mother Nature. In 2004 most of the North Coast was
included in the newly created North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area
(Beihaian Ji Guanyinshan Guojia Fengjing Qu), an easily accessible place of
calm as well as natural ruggedness. Provincial Highway No. 2 is the only road
that runs along the North Coast between the breakers and the mountainside.
Commonly referred to as the North Coast Highway, its first few kilometers east
of Danshui negotiate undulating hills. The sea appears abruptly at Baishawan,
or “White Sand Bay,” a beach tremendously popular with locals on non-working
days (June–Aug daily 8am–dusk; admission charge). The soft white sand found
here is a rarity along the mainly rocky coastline. There are shower facilities
and eateries. Those not keen on basting themselves in the hot sun can rent
equipment for surfing and windsurfing. The winds are best when the cool
northeasterlies blow from November to March. Locals avoid the place during this
period, resulting in thinner crowds. The tiny, eponymous town by the beach, with
cafés and pubs lining the highway, throbs into the night on weekends.
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