GENERAL INFORMATION

TRAVEL IDEAS

STAYS OF DISTINCTION

Grand Hotel Taipei

Taiwan

ARRIVAL GUIDE

Temples and shrines, art treasures, shopping, peaceful lakes, spectacular scenery, hiking, beaches, food, deep-sea fishing, gardens and scuba diving and snorkeling are among the chief attractions of Taiwan. It has always been a popular refuge from Mainland China.

Over the centuries, everyone from fortune hunters and farmers to persecuted minorities and exiled members of the royal court has found a haven there. And when the Nationalists fled the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949, taking with them the imperial collection of Chinese artifacts, Taiwan became another kind of haven -- it became a living museum of pre-Communist Chinese culture.

Taiwan is a modern industrialized megalopolis clinging to the fringes of an ancient culture, a string of teeming cities at the feet of a glorious mountain range. If you step outside Taipei you'll discover why Taiwan is known as Ilha Formosa, 'the beautiful island'. Mountain peaks puncture a sea of clouds, slick black volcanic rock wraps the coastlines and waterfalls shroud themselves in mist:

Not too long ago, the valley of the Tamsui River was home to rice and vegetable farmers. Today it's the site of Taipei, the bustling centre of Taiwan's commerce, government and culture. As far as most people are concerned, this is the heart of Taiwan and the place where things happen. Wandering around Taipei, while sometimes taxing, is always rewarding. It's worthwhile spending at least your first day there exploring on foot. You will discover plenty of colourful temples, inspiring monuments to heroes and fascinating museums.

The island's high mountain forests are predominantly cypress, although camphor used to grow in abundance. Taiwan was once home to many endemic species, including the Formosan black bear, the Formosan Sika deer and the Formosan landlocked salmon. In its headlong scurry towards economic prosperity, Taiwan has managed to destroy most of the western coast's habitat and wipe out a species or two, although the inaccessibility of the rest of the island has made it a natural wildlife reserve. But in the last 20 years Taiwan has declared 67 reserves, including six national parks, and instituted some fairly hefty environmental legislation.

TAIPEI

Taipei is in the northern part of Taiwan Province. Apart from Yang Ming Mountain and the Peitou Scenic Spot, Taipei Park is the largest natural scenic spot with a total area of 89,000 square metres and the biggest wooden-fenced zoo. There are many other places of historic interest and scenic beauty such as the Taipei City Gate, the Long Shan Temple, Bao An Palace and the Confucian Temple.

NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM

The Palace Museum, former known as the Sun Yet-Sen Museum is built among the mountains and is designed in a palace-style architecture, it was constructed in accordance with the design of Beijing's Forbidden City with red railings and green glazed tile, solemn and magnificent. Standing in front of the courtyard, one feels as if one were inside the Beijing Forbidden City.

The scenery of the magnificent mountains covered by thick forests is close to the building. Constructed in 1965, the Palace Museum is equipped with world-class modern facilities and houses a great number of collections, which are national treasures in Chinese history. Among them are 250,000 pieces of historical relics formerly kept in Beijing's Forbidden City and the Nanjing Central Museum plus articles received through donations, collection and purchase. The current total of artifacts is nearly 700,000.