On Day 7, we embarked on a free and easy tour by ourselves in Taipei City. As usual, it was breakfast first at our
East Dragon Hotel (東龍大飯店) before we kick-off the rest of the day.
Hsing Tian Gong (行天宫)
Our first stop of the day is the Hsing Tian Gong (行天宫), which is a temple dedicated to Guan Yu, who is widely worshipped as the God of War. The temple was completed in 1967 and is the newest of the other 2 branches. However, this temple is the only one located in downtown Taipei, thus it is the most popular and had the most visitors of all.
From our hotel, we walked to Ximen Station (西門站) and took the MRT to the Xingtian Temple Station (行天宫站). Once we exited the station, we followed the signage and walked for another 300m before reaching the destination.
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| Hsing Tian Gong (Souce: Photo from worldarchitecturemap) |
When we arrived at the temple, the decorative dragons on the roof the temple caught our attention. We took some photos outside the main entrance before we enter the temple. Inside the temple, it was already packed with visitors and worshippers. At the centre of the temple is a large sheltered square where worshippers offer their prayers. At the side of the temple, there's a section where it's opened for fortune telling services.
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| Interior of Hsing Tian Gong (Source: Photo from flickriver) |
We did not spend too much time here, so after some of our group members completed their prayers and the fortune telling, we returned to the Xingtian Temple Station (行天宫站). From there, we took the MRT to our next destination, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station (國父紀念館站).
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (國立國父紀念館)
The memorial hall was completed in 1972 to commemorate the founding father of Republic of China, Dr Sun Yat-Sen (孫中山). The memorial hall is located in a large compound that comprises of fountain, lake and gardens. The hall itself contains an exhibition centre, theatre lecture halls and a library.
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| Map of the compound |
We entered the compound from the north entrance, which is a short distance from the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station (國父紀念館站). We walked past the garden where the area is filled with colourful flowerbeds, statues of Sun Yat-Sen and historical walls. Near the main entrance to the memorial hall, the location also offers an excellent view of the Taipei 101, which many cannot resist but to stop and take photos with it.
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| Statue of Sun Yat-Sen |
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| View of Taipei 101 |
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| Main entrance of the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall |
Inside the main hall, we would see a giant statue of Sun Yat-Sen in a seated posture, both sides flanked by guards. Every hour, there would be a guard changing ceremony. However, we did not meet the timing to witness it.
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| Statue of Sun Yat-Sen inside the hall |
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| One of the guard by the side of the statue |
We went ahead to the exhibition area, where it showcases the life of Dr Sun Yat-Sen and his struggle in the revolutions. It is an inspiring exhibition which reminds the current generation on how his perseverance and conviction managed to overthrow the Qing imperial rule and built a new modern China.
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| A painting of Sun Yat-Sen |
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| Sculptures of Sun Yat-Sen and his wife, Song Qing Ling |
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| ROC Founding Government Policy |
After the exhibition, we exited the compound by the south and made a slow walk to the next destination, Taipei 101.
Taipei 101 (臺北101)
Taipei 101 is a very popular tourist attraction in Taiwan and is considered as a must-visit attraction in Taipei. It was completed in 2004, and was then the world's tallest building, before it was overtaken by Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2009. The construction of the building itself was an engineering feat, which was specially designed to withstand typhoon and earthquake that is very common in Taiwan.
There's a multi-storey shopping mall that adjoins the tower, which is home to many fashion stores and restaurants etc. However, shopping wasn't our main objective for the visit. We made our way to the 5th floor to purchase the tickets to the
Indoor Observatory Deck located at the 88th and 89th floor. The tickets also allow entry to the Outdoor Observatory Deck located at the 91st floor. After we bought the tickets, we were treated to a ride in the world's faster elevator to the 89th floor, travelling up to 1010 m/min and taking only 37 seconds!
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| Souvenirs of Taipei 101 |
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| Tickets to the Observatory |
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| World's fastest elevator |
The Indoor Observatory Deck offers 360 degree view of the city. There's free audio guide devices that comes in different languages to guide visitors through various iconic buildings/landmarks that be seen from the observatory, as well as introduction to the construction history and special features of the building. The weather was very good and we were able to enjoy the scenic view of the city, which every buildings and cars seems dwarfed when we overlooked them.
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| View of Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall |
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| View of City Hall |
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| View of Songshan Airport |
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| View of Xiangshan area |
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| View to the west of the building |
There are also stalls around the observatory selling food, drinks and souvenirs. At the centre of the deck, we could see the world's largest damper sphere that suspends from the 92nd to the 87th floor, which serves like a pendulum that help to offset movement of the building caused by strong gusts.
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| World's largest damper sphere |
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| Damper Baby mascot |
Once we were done at the Indoor Observatory Deck, we climbed up the stairs to the Outdoor Observatory Deck. After the observatory tour, we were all hungry and tired. We exited the place and went to the food court located at the basement of the mall to have our lunch.
Wufenpu (五分埔)
After the late lunch, we departed Taipei 101 and walked towards the Taipei City Hall Station (市政府站). From there, we took the MRT to Houshanpi Station (後山埤站), which is just a short walk to Taipei's largest clothing wholesale market, Wufenpu (五分埔).
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| Wufenpu (Source: Photo from hotels-in-taipei) |
Despite being a wholesale market, many shops also offer retail sales to individual customers. The clothes here are cheaper than those similar ones that one could find in Ximending (西門町) and Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). The market covers a large area comprising of various streets and lanes, thus visitors have to remember which lane they have turned into so that they don't get lost inside. Ladies would love this place because most of the shops here sell women apparels and accessories. After the frenzy shopping, we departed the area and returned to Houshanpi Station (後山埤站).
Shi Da Night Market (師大夜市)
Most travelers would have covered Raohe Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) along with Wufenpu (五分埔), but some of group members preferred to visit Shi Da Night Market (師大夜市), thus we took the MRT to Taipower Building Station (台電大樓站). The night market got its name due to its proximity to the nearby National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學). The night market covers a large area, which mainly extend along the sides of the Longquan Street (龍泉街).
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| Shi Da Night Market (Source: Photo from daliulian) |
Since the night market is near to the university, there are many shops and stalls that target the young adult market with trendy fashions. Of course there's the usual street food and snacks that dominates portion of the night market. We settled our dinner here with the street food and after the second round of shopping, we bid farewell to the night market and took the MRT back to our hotel in Ximending (西門町).
Follow the links below to the other days of my Taiwan tour:
Day 1: Taipei (Tamsui, Ximending Hot Pot)
Day 2: Keelung (Tianhou Temple @ Peace Island, Zhong Zheng Park, Ershawan Fortification, Bisha Fishing Port, Nanya Rock Formation, Bitou Cape, Miaokou Night Market, Cashbox Party World)
Day 3: Hualien (Jinan Temple, Nan Fang Ao Fishing Harbour, Qingshui Cliff, Qixintan Beach, Hang Rou, Mochi, Fanlin House Minsu)
Day 4: Hualien (Taroko National Park Visitor Centre, Shakadang Trail, Leader Village Taroko, Buluowan Visitor Centre, Tianxiang, Eternal Spring Shrine, Dajili Restaurant, Rainbow Night Market)
Day 5: Taipei (Yilan Cake Factory, Fu Ge Shi Yao Chicken, Shifen & Sky Lantern, Mei Guan Yuan @ Ximending)
Day 6: Wulai (Neidong National Forest Recreation Area, Wulai Old Street, Sun Moon Light Hot Spring, Ding Tai Fung @ Taipei 101, Chia Te Bakery)
Day 7: Taipei (Hsing Tian Gong, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, Wufenpu, Shi Da Night Market)
Day 8 & 9: Taipei (Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Shin Yeh Restaurant, National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market)
