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Taipei
The principal city in the north, Taipei was designated a ‘special municipality’ in July 1967, thus acquiring the same status as a province and its mayor the same rank as a provincial governor. The area of the city has expanded to four times its original size, making it the fastest-growing city in Asia.
The city centre contains the National Museum of History, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Taiwan Provincial Museum and Chung Cheng (Chiang Kai-shek) Memorial Hall, which is a fine example of classical Chinese architecture. The magnificent main entrance is more than 30m (100ft) high. One of Taipei’s new attractions is a tour of the Fu Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy where traditional Chinese opera and acrobatic performers are trained and where they stage shows. Also new to Taipei is the City of Cathay, a replica of an ancient Chinese town which is located within the Chinese Culture and Movie Centre.
The Lungshan (Dragon Mountain) Temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and was built in 1740. The temple, one of more than 5000 temples and shrines in the country, is regarded as the island’s finest example of temple architecture.
Among other outstanding buildings of classical Chinese architecture in Taipei are the Martyrs’ Shrine, the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the Chungsham Building in the Yangmingshan district of the metropolis, 40 minutes’ drive from the centre of Taipei, where the National Palace Museum can also be found; it houses the world’s largest and most priceless collection of Chinese art treasures (over 6000 items). Yangmingshan National Park is famous for its cherry and azalea trees, and attracts thousands of visitors at blossom time.
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