Despite Taipei
’
s growth into a mod-
ern metropolis, much of the city
’
s
former character is preserved in
the Bopiliao and Ximending his-
toric areas.
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The “Classic Tour” takes walkers first to Tainan’s exquisite
Confucius Temple, then a mere 200m to what’s now the National
Museum of Taiwan Literature. The latter has been a landmark for
exactly a century, but for most of its existence this European-
style building served as a local government office.
Then it’s on to the Altar of Heaven, also known as Tiantan.
This shrine is relatively new by Tainan standards — it’s a mere
161 years old — but people have been worshipping the Jade
Emperor, Taoism’s chief deity, at this location since the 1660s.
The penultimate and final stops represent the Qing era and
the Japanese period. Taiwan was ruled from Beijing as part of the
Qing Empire between 1684 and 1895, and it was in this epoch
that a wealthy salt merchant commissioned the harmonious Wu
Garden. Hayashi Department Store, by contrast, is an always-
bustling emporium that exudes traditional Japanese refinement. It
has three features probably no other department store in the
world can boast: an elevator with a mosaic floor, a restored
rooftop Shinto shrine, and the scars of World War 2 air raids.
The “Local Life Tour” explores a cluster of narrow
thoroughfares around 700m northwest of Hayashi Department Store.
These include Shennong Street, much-loved and photographed on
account of its antique appearance. Largely intact traditional two-story
houses with tiled roofs and wooden upper floors line both sides of the
street. As the name of the tour implies, the emphasis is on lifestyles
and traditions, rather than notable buildings.
Tourists heading to Taipei have a range of options. Some are
offered by Like It Formosa (
), which
describes itself as “an independent organization committed to
promoting Taiwan and facilitating intercultural exchange.” Their
guides are young and bi- or even trilingual.
One of Like It Formosa’s most popular walkabouts is
the Historic Tour held each Sunday. This kicks off at
Longshan Temple in Wanhua, a famous house of worship
in a grittily authentic part of the capital, before moving on
to Bopiliao.
The next two stops both date from the Japanese era. After
a look at Ximending’s Red House and a few words about its
intriguing shape and varied history, it’s on to the Office of the
President. The latter was completed in 1919. The tour
culminates at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, three hours and
4.5km later.
Like It Formosa’s Facebook page lists other Taipei tours,
including a pub crawl, an LGBT-themed walk, and a look around
history-rich Dadaocheng. There’s also a hike up Elephant
Mountain timed to enjoy the setting sun and superb nighttime
views of Taipei 101.
Tour Me Away (
tourmeaway.com
) covers some of the same
ground. Their Old Town Taipei expedition, however, also stops by
Zhongshan Hall, a concert venue that embodies the dramatic twists
and turns of Taiwan’s history in the 20th century. This Spanish-
Islamic style building, completed in 1936, was commissioned to
celebrate the coronation of Japanese Emperor Hirohito.
Tour Me Away’s Taipei Chill Out Tour roams through
Taipei’s Flower Market and along nearby roads including
Yongkang Street. Two of Asia’s most famous
xiaolongbao
(soup-
filled steamed dumplings) restaurants are located here, as are
several other excellent eating options.
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