Hello friends! How are you doing? I’m fine. ^^ Today I will try to talk about Taipei again but I said try because it is my first time witch I speak one whole post in English! =) I hope that all the visitants enjoy this post! Everyone can send comments including my Brazilian friends, ok?!?!?! ;D

Saiba mais! Confira postagens em português:

• Click aqui para ler sobre Taiwan! (Commonly known as Taiwan (臺灣 or 台灣) is the theme of Special NWB today! =)
• Click aqui para ler sobre Taipei! (Taipei (臺北) is the largest city in Taiwan, capital of the Republic of China! =)
  

Today I’m talking in English, comming soon I might right in my blog in Chinese and Japanese language! ^^ So, I will dedicate my post to Beth and Eduardo of Celil, my friends Daniel and Diego and Marcelo who visit and comment frequently in my blog. =)

Are you ready to start our trip? So, let’s go! ^^ Taipei (台北) is the largest city in Taiwan and has served as the de facto capital of the Republic of China (commonly known as “Taiwan”) since the Chinese Civil War in 1949. It is situated on the Danshui River, almost at the northern tip of the island, about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean. Another coastal city, Danshui, is about 20 km northwest at the river’s mouth on the Taiwan Strait. =D

Taipei lies in the relatively narrow, bowl-shaped valley of the Danshui and two of its main tributaries, the Keelung River (基隆河) and Xindian River (新店溪). The generally low-lying terrain of the central areas on the western side of the municipality slopes upward to the south and east and especially to the north, where it reaches 1,120 metres (3,675 ft) at Cising Mountain (七星山), which the highest (extinct) volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. The climate is humid subtropical, with hot, muggy, rainy summers and cool, damp winters. It is also the political, economic, and cultural centre of the country. =D

Taipei City, Taipei County, and Keelung City together form the Taipei metropolitan area but are administered under different local government bodies. Taipei City is a special municipality administered directly under the Executive Yuan, while Taipei County and Keelung City are administered as part of Taiwan Province. “Taipei” sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while “Taipei City” refers to the city proper. Taipei’s city government is headed by a mayor who is elected by direct popular vote. A secretary-general assists the mayor. ^^

Taipei is part of a major industrial area. Most of Taiwan’s textile factories are here, and other products include electronics, electrical machinery and appliances, wires and cables, and refrigeration equipment. Shipbuilding, including yachts and other pleasure craft, is done in the port of Keelung northeast of the city. Railways, high speed rail, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by Songshan Airport (for domestic and cross-strait flights) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (for international flights and some cross-strait flights).

Taipei was founded in the early 18th century and became an important center for overseas trade in the 19th century. The Japanese acquired Taiwan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War and made Taipei the island’s capital. The Republic of China took over the island in 1945 after Japan’s defeat in World War II. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek declared Taipei the provisional capital of the Republic of China in December 1949 after the Kuomintang (KMT) was defeated by the Communists during the Chinese Civil War.  The KMT retreated to Taiwan and the jurisdiction of the Republic of China was limited to Taiwan while the Communist Party founded the People’s Republic of China in mainland China. ;D

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument that was erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. The monument, surrounded by a park and a large square incorporating the National Concert Hall and National Theater, stands within sight of the Republic of China’s Presidential Building in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District.  =O

The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is a memorial to one of the most recognizable founding fathers of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on May 16, 1972. From the opening of the hall, majority of the exhibits displayed were revolutionary events of the national founding fathers at the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, recently its function moved toward a multi-purpose social, educational and cultural center for the Taiwanese public. XD

The National Palace Museum is an art gallery and museum built around a permanent collection centered on ancient Chinese artifacts. It should not be confused with the Palace Museum in Beijing; both institutions trace their origins to the same institution. The collections were divided in the 1940s as a result of the Chinese Civil War. =/
The National Palace Museum in Taipei now boasts a truly international collection while housing one of the world’s largest assemblies of artifacts from ancient China. =D

And to finish my post watch the interview of one of my favorite tv programs! I’m talking about CNN Talk Asian! ^^ Plus a music from Korean band called Super Junior that is amazing! =)

Thank you for your visit! You are always welcome! =D

Arigatoo people! =)
ありがとうございました!
ラモスウェリントン

And we’re back!

As soon as we arrived at the Tainan (台南) train station, we hopped in a cab to our accommodation. With a name like Hotel Dynasty, how could it not be promising?

The brownie points were indeed scored when learning about the free laundry machines and soap powder on the roof of the building. This was excellent since we’d been in Taiwan for a week and the dirty clothes were piling up. There was also a workout room that we didn’t use because let’s face it, we were on vacation. One breakfast per day came with the room, so we paid the difference to add another meal.

We spent our first night walking around the city and sampling some of the local food. Each city in Taiwan is known for their special xiao chi (小吃), or small eats. Guan cai ban (馆材板), or coffin bead, is a popular xiao chi in Tainan and one of my favorites. A piece of toast is deep fried on both sides then a little door is cut out of one side and a stew of peas, carrots, chicken and seafood is poured into the center. It’s extremely tasty! We liked guan cai ban so much that we ate this both nights we were in Tainan at this location —->>> #218 Minzu Lu, Section 2

guan cai ban (馆材扳) aka coffin bread

Boys dancing in front of a mall

bao bing (刨冰) in Tainan

Hotel Dy-NASTY

Another perk about Hotel Dynasty was that, once again, the staff was extremely helpful. They not only provided us with train and bus schedules, but they also booked us the tickets. With their help, we plotted out how to get to popular hot spring destination, Guanziling, in Tainan County. We had to take a train (walking distance from the hotel) to Shinying then grab a bus directly across the street from the train station. We were in transit for just over two hours, but had two wait two hours in Shinying for the next bus.

We hopped off the bus at the bottom of the mountain in Guanziling then trekked it up a steep incline to find many hot spring resorts and restaurants along the main road. We were using The Rough Guide to Taiwan on this trip and the book recommended Mutsun Spring, a Japanese style hotel and hot spring retreat. We paid NT$1350 to soak for 35 minutes, which was plenty of time, in a private room that included a small outdoor patio, shower, toilet, vanity area and a nice size tub. The natural spring water was hot (as expected) and cold water was on tap to cool down the temperature if needed. Bliss!

Mutsun Spring

Private room

Mineral rich hot spring water is good for the skin

Courtyard

We sipped complimentary tea in the courtyard before setting off to find the Fire Water Cave, or Shui Huo Dong (水火洞), where methane seeping from the side of a mountain continuously burns on top of a pool of water. I asked the receptionist at Mutsun Spring how long it would take for us to walk to this natural phenomenon and she said 30 minutes. What she didn’t mention was that it was uphill the whole way at a 90 degree incline! It took us nearly an hour to get there, but Nate found a cobra skin on the side of the road, so that made the rigorous journey worth it. Here’s a video of the Fire Water Cave.

We made our way back down the hill in 30 minutes and grabbed a drink from an outside cafe before returning to Tainan. We were wiped out from all the hiking, so the evening consisted of packing bags and getting shut eye.

After breakfast the next morning, we walked back to the train station to venture to our next destination, Hualien (花莲), which is located on the northeast coast of Taiwan. I had learned through the receptionist at Dy-NASTY that there were no trains that traveled straight across the island from Tainan to Hualien. We would have to go either all the way down south then up the east coast, or back up north through Taipei, the way we had already come, down the east coast. Since we didn’t have time to stop off at any southern points, I really wanted to take the southern route… and I thought that was communicated to the receptionist. Welllll, I was wrong. We got to the train station and realized that we were standing on the same platform that we had stood on the previous day when going Guanziling, which is just north of Tainan. I’ll admit, I was a bit bummed out that I wouldn’t get to see the southern region, but the train ride to Hualien would have been six hours either way. As the train chugged along the northern coastline of the island, despite the rain and clouds, the view of cliffs and crashing waves was magnificent.

Other than the little mishap with the booking of the train tickets, up until this point, I had experienced the best and most consistent customer out of any trip I’d ever been on. And that didn’t change once we arrived in Hualien.

Conveniently located next to the Hualien train station is a Visitor Center. I asked the woman at the desk how far our accommodation, the C’est Jeune Hotel, was from the station and she said that it wasn’t walking distance and that she’d phone them because she knew they had a shuttle. Excellent! The guy from the hotel picked us up within 15 minutes and moments later we were in the lobby of what could have been a contemporary art museum. Art is a big deal at this hotel with featured artists’ work frequently rotated out. Each room is also decorated with at least one piece of the guest artist’s work.

C'est Jeune Hotel lobby

That night we ate an interesting… Western… I guess you could say, dinner at a place called Truck Road. I can’t find a website or any information about this restaurant online, but I’ll tell you that the decor made me feel like I was in a Joe’s Crab Shack in the southern States, or my favorite mac n’ cheese spot in NYC, Chat n’ Chew. Basically, a very kitsch American vibe with the whole Coca Cola sign, old gas pump, Superman figurine, thing going on. I was hoping to score a cheese burger, but we ended with something that was similar to a meatloaf… but it had a cheesy center. The whole meal was a bit odd, but it didn’t taste bad, so we left satisfied.

Before walking back to the hotel we dipped into a dive bar where there was only one other patron, a young woman sitting by herself. All of a sudden the music changed, the fog machine turned on and the gal walked up to a small stage in the middle of the room and began singing karaoke. It was bit awkward because it was only us… and her. I felt inspired after listening to her sing two songs and knew that the night wouldn’t be complete without a tune from MADONNA! That’s right. I sang “Crazy For You” like no one had ever sang in Hualien, or at least I’d like to think so. The night was complete.

The hotel breakfast (included with the room rate) the next morning, I’ve gotta be honest, wasn’t one of my favorites. The drink selection was strange (soup?) and the food was under room temp. We didn’t dilly dally over the meal though because we had a full day ahead of us. With the Downtown Hualien bus stop only a 15 minute walk away, we powered there to catch a bus to Taroko Gorge. After nearly two hours on board, we were dropped off at Tiansiang (天祥) the last stop inside of the National Park, where we found ourselves surrounded by mountains and raging water. Submerged in some of nature’s finest creations, we stumbled upon waterfalls and marble formations throughout the day.

The best part of the day was seeing what I like to call a Free Range Monkey! No kidding! We were walking down the road and in mid-conversation Nate stopped and said, “That is a monkey!” We stood still facing the woods for a few minutes and sure enough, I saw the monkey too! I pulled out the guide book and indeed there was a little blurb that mentioned sightings of the rock monkey being common in Taroko National Park. Unfortunately, the monkey was camouflaged up against the trees, so I couldn’t score a good photo. He was monkeying around :::bad ump bumb:::

And the worst part of the day was when Nate almost fell off a cliff. We were walking down the main road and although there was a guard rail, edges of the asphalt were missing due to erosion. All of a sudden Nate was down and one of his legs was hanging over the side. Needless to say, after that I made him walk on the other side of the road.

We hiked a total of about six hours by the time we reached the middle of the park. The last shuttle was scheduled to stop off at this point at 6:30 pm. By 5 PM, it was pitch black. Our only source of light came from the gleam of a traffic tunnel. At 6:45 I started getting nervous because we were literally out in the middle of nowhere. But once again, the nerves got the best of me because a few minutes later, our amazing bus driver pulled up and welcomed us with at big “Hello!”

We picked up some Hualien xiao chi (小吃) of soup and xiao long bao (小笼包) before heading back to the hotel.

A local Hualien soup & xiao long bao (小笼包)

The next day was New Years Eve Eve, which meant it was time to head back to Taipei to ring in the New Year. This time we stayed at the Holiday Inn East Taipei, located in the Shenkeng suburb of Taipei, a hop skip and a tunnel away from the Taipei 101.

I can’t remember the last time I stayed at a Holiday Inn and I was really impressed by the place. The room had a living area with a flat screen TV separate from the bed area that also had a flat screen. A free shuttle on site brings guests to the Taipei 101 a few times a day during the week and more frequently on the weekend. Reservations must be made in advance with the concierge, but when the shuttle is full, it’s no big deal because there’s a convenient city bus stop in front of the hotel.

We found a few awesome western style restaurants around the city including G’day Cafe that offers a bottomless cup of coffee and Grandma Nitti’s Kitchen in the Shida part of town. We meet up with my buddy ole pal, Paul from Scotland, who had also flown over from the Mainland to spend the holidays with his girlfriend and buddies from the University of Edinburgh. Some of the Edinburgh gals had a New Years Eve house party, so after we checked out the Taipei 101 scene downtown, we swung by to be a part of the festivities.

A massive New Year televised production in front of the Taipei 101

A male pop-singer performs

Happy New Year!

The last few weeks I was in the U.S. before coming to China, I worked on a game show for ABC and the director told me about the time he was in Taipei for New Years Eve and watched the 101 building explode. I didn’t know what he was talking about so I went on Youtube to educate myself. Now it’s your turn to educate yourself by watching this video. You can hear in my voice that I was just a wee-bit excited by the spectacle.

2009 <3

The last few days in Taipei were spent checking out tourist attractions such as the legendary National Palace Museum. Originally located in Beijing at the Forbidden City, the National Palace was founded in 1925. Pieces of the collection were moved to Taiwan first in 1931 during the Sino-Japanese War and again in 1949 during the Cultural Revolution. The government shipped about 600,000 works to Taiwan to preserve history. The museum is comprised of three floors displaying rare books, religious sculptures, furniture, antiques, paintings and calligraphy, and my favorite, emperor’s curio boxes.

After the museum, we popped over to Miramar Entertainment Park to take a ride a Ferris wheel that’s 100 meters high. We made the mistake of getting in the shorter line for the “translucent bottom” cars because there’s only four of these on the darn thing! Since the wheel takes 17 minutes to do a full rotation and there were already a few people ahead of us, we were waiting for quite a while. However, due to the wait, we made it to the top of the Ferris wheel just as the sun began to set.

That night I saw my first movie in a theater since being in Asia, which was Changeling starring Angelia Jolie. A great film based on a true story about a missing child and a corrupt Los Angeles Police Department in the 1920s. There’s a shocking twist to the story not mentioned in the trailer that left me disturbed for a few days. If you didn’t catch the film on the big screen, make sure to pick up a copy at Blockbuster or your local DVD shop.

The amazing trip came to an end early on a Monday morning and I had my teary eyed good-bye with Nate. The vacation was chock-full of excellent food, excellent customer service, excellent accomodations and most importaly, excellent hospitatlity.

I left Taiwan feeling rejuvinated and suprisingly more conifdent about my Mandarin speaking skills than when I arrived. I felt that the people of Taiwan really gave me a chance to speak to them, even if I didn’t use the correct tones. They tried to understand what I was saying and didn’t blow me off immediatly because of the way I look (like a foreigner). I returned to Shanghai with a new sense of confidence for living in Asia. I started the next portion of my year in China with more knowledge and a fresh slate.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Alright, today Wing and I got up late, say like.. 12?

Let’s say it’s catching up on sleep!

Alright so what was instore for today..

Went to 故宮 (National Palace Museum) – antiques from 8,000 years ago!!

Entrance sign~

Map of the whole area..

The entrance steps..

Wing at the entrance..

Some display thing outside the museum..

Near the entrance of the museum was of course.. cow displays..

Alright so.. the thing is that despite how nice and big the place is and how old the treasures are.. there was absolutely no photo taking allowed inside.

People will hold signs saying so..

But the displays ranged from waaaaaaaaaaaaay back, through all the dynasties (mainly Ming and Qing) through to modern times!

But.. all those national treasures of China, it’s definitely something to see because it’s so well preserved, things ranging from like the furniture of the Qing Dynasty to the jade carvings and literature.. painting.. caligraphy.. over 15 displays!

Also it’s like 80NT if you’re a student! Or 160NT if you’re an adult, that’s like roughly less than $4AUD and $8AUD!!!

If you’re a pensioner/disabled (+one accompanying person) you get to go in for FREE.

So if any of you go to Taiwan/Taipei, you DEFINITELY have to go to this place – it’s a big part of history, not just Chinese, but the world too!

So afterwards..

After we finished walking and seeing everything went to have some tea upstairs!

My Alishan tea and wing's Oolong tea.

Wing's mochi-like peanut thing..

My er.. green bean and red bean thing.. very very nice with tea

Outside afterwards~

Outside.. wing now~

Wing and the cow hmm..

So we headed to the garden afterwards because it’s free if you bought a ticket to the museum..

On the way..

Just very quickly:

Every big exhibition had one of these, so all up 15.

So after we got into the garden..

As we first walk in..

There were about 3 huge fish/duck ponds!

Soon after wing just HAD to buy fish food..

This.. wooden house thing..

Wing feeding some swans?!

Yet another house thing

A stalk! Very lazy! Didn't move!

Wing said: "Yes! Free university degree!"

Dragon fountain thing.. duck island if you want

Wing feeding some huge ass Koi.

Afterwards we went to Shilin Night Market.

Shilin Night Market Entrance~ all the games and stuff removed because it wasn't new years anymore~.

The line for fried chicken! 50NT for a HUGE piece..

Mmmmmmmmmmm gooooooooooood!

To me it was worth the wait, not to WING though

Afterwards we went back to ShiLin and went to the arcade for a bit.. watched Wing play DDR and get “FAILED” LOL!

Lucky he said NO to video-ing and youtubing it.

After that we went bowling for 1 round, just very quickly (like $5AUD)

Wing was THAT fast

For more Wing+Garden goodness: http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b140/Sukari/TaiwanTrip09/Day27

Password: welcome

Have a good day .

Mes su Kęstu keičiamės ligonių rolėmis – šiandien aš truputį karščiuoju, tai nieko įdomaus galbūt ir neparašysiu, bet nenoriu, kad per daug įspūdžių susikrautų, tad…

Dar viena naujoji pažįstama – Miglė. Ji jau pusantrų metų studijuoja Taivane ir jai čia labai patinka. Su Migle ir Džuliana vakar lankėmės šiaurinėje Taivano dalyje. Vairavo ir lankytinus objektus parinko Džuliana, tad mums jokių rūpesčių, tik dairytis, klausyti, kramtyti…

Pirmiausia nuvykome į Hung-Mao (raudonplaukių) pilį, dar kitaip vadinamą Fort San Domingo. Tai Danshui rajono žymiausias svetimšalių palikimas, pirmiausia septyniolikto amžiaus pradžioje pastatytas ispanų, bet neilgai trukus užgrobtas olandų, kurie ispaniškus statinius pakeitė akmeniniu fortu. Devyniolikto amžiaus antroje pusėje fortą išsinuomavo britai ir šalia pasistatė konsulatą, kurį irgi apžiūrėjome. Dabar abiejuose pastatuose yra muziejus.

Kaip matosi iš nuotraukos – dangus giedras giedras, buvo pati šilčiausia ir gražiausia diena mano lankymosi Taivane metu.

Prie minėto muziejaus be turistų užsuka nusifotografuoti ir jaunieji, truputį jiems patrukdžiau.

Fortas ant kalno, nuo jo nusileidome į Danshui upės pakrantę ir Senąją (prekybinę) gatvelę, kur paragavome nelabai skaniai atrodantį, tradicinį vietinį patiekalą – A-Gei, makaronais kimštą tofu. Jis atrodė gražiau nesusmulkintas, bet tik tokį nufotografavau… Tiesa, visai skanus, tofu kol kas nenusivyliau, nors dar nedrįstu paragauti dvokiančio tofu, labai jau nemalonus jo kvapas, prastesnis už pelėsinio sūrio.

Pasisukiojom ir ne tokiom turistinėm miestelio gatvelėm.

O čia galėtų būti įrodymas, kad vyrai (užmigę ant stalo) – silpnoji lytis Fotografuota arbatinėje, belaukiant kol atsilaisvins staliukas su vaizdu į upę ir kalnus.

Saulę palydėjome prie Ramiojo vandenyno, Cianshueiwan paplūdimyje, kur pasivaikščiojome pakrante ir pašokinėjome bangų daužomu molu. Labai miela vieta, nors Miglei Palangos paplūdimys gražesnis, matyt, pasiilgusi.

Saulė nusileido, o mūsų kelionė tęsėsi mums snaudžiant, o Džulianai vairuojant link Keelung’o, garsėjančio savo naktiniu maisto turgumi Miaokou, kuriame galima rinktis patiekalus iš daugybės azijietiškų virtuvių. Pirmiausia ragavom kopūstienės su ryžių leistinukais ir česnakais. Nuotraukoje Kęsto sriuba su mėsa, maniškė turėjo būti nemėsiška, bet radau įkritusią krevetės uodegą…

O čia jau tikrai vegetariška antroji vakarienės dalis – tofu suktinukai su ryžiais, salotos ir keptas tofu su berods marinuotais svogūnais ar kažkuo panašiu. Ši dalis nenuvylė.

Iš mano įrašų tikriausiai atrodo, kad aš visada alkanas, bet negaliu neminėti maisto – jis viena egzotiškiausių ir svarbiausių mano atostogų sudėtinių dalių, todėl dažnai net pavalgęs vis tiek dairausi kokios užkandos, man labai patinka ragauti ir ieškoti naujų skonių.

Apie šiandieną labai trumpai. Kęstas vyko į paskaitas, o aš į Nacionalinį Taivano muziejų (National Palace Museum). Jame fotografuoti negalima, tai galiu parodyti tik kaip atrodo iš išorės.

Diena vėlgi labai šilta ir graži, bet viduj vėsu. Kadangi prabuvau daugiau kaip penkias valandas, tai sugrįžo ir mano kosulys… Nacionalinis muziejus turi 650 000 Senovės Kinijos daiktų bei meno kūrinių ir yra vienas didžiausių pasaulyje, tad nors ne visi šie objektai eksponuojami, atidžiai visko per vieną dieną apžiūrėti neįmanoma. Perėjau visą pagrindinį pastatą ir bandžiau dar nulėkti į antrąjį, bet, deja, jis laikinai uždarytas. Visgi užteko ir pirmojo, skaudėjo ir sprandą nuo kuprinės, ir kojas, ir galvą iš alkio, nes nebuvo visą dieną laiko pasirūpinti maistu. Kęstas jau sėdėjo ant suoliuko prie muziejaus ir ruošėsi rytdienos testui. Mano vizitas atima iš jo didžiąją mokslui skirto laiko dalį, tikiuosi, neatsiliks labai…

Pabaigai – trispalvės

Taipei’s National Palace Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Palace_Museum)

has the largest collection of Chinese art in the world.

The museum now lists 620,250 pieces.   In comparison, the Louvre has 35,000 works of art.  This is an apples and oranges comparison to some extent since the Louvre has pieces of unmatched quality.  The Louvre also focuses on paintings while most of the pieces in the National Palace Museum are not paintings. Still the National Palace Museum does have 50,000 paintings!  Sadly only a small part of the National Palace Museum is on display at any given time due to a lack of space.  I have visited both the Louvre and the National Palace Museum and I would say it takes about 3-4 days to check out the Louvre while the National Palace Museum takes half a day to see such is the extreme disparity in facilities between the two museums.  The lack of space for the collection of the National Palace Museum is a scandal since Taiwan does not have a top 100 tourist attraction and could with more space have one of the top museums in the world and a top 100 tourist attraction.  A vastly expanded National Palace Museum would be a special draw for mainland Chinese tourists.

Mainland China has the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City and once the two collections were part of single collection.  The collection was split after the Chinese Civil War.  Is there any way to reunite these two incredible collections that are symbols of the common Chinese culture that Taiwan and Mainland China share?

I propose the both collections could be united in a Virtual Chinese Reunification Palace.  Most of the collections of both museums exist in photographic digital form already.  What if these pieces were displayed in a 3D environment the user could “walk through” online?  In addition tools could be added that would users to make their own version of a Virtual Chinese Reunfication Palace and this could be an assignment that school children on both sides could work on together.

This project would aid the cause of peaceful reunifcation between mainland China and Taiwan.

An article about this topic that appeared in the International Herald Tribune shortly after I published this post at:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/12/asia/imperial.php

In Taiwan’s very own National Palace Museum ( 國立故宮博物院 ), a special exhibition, “Enduring Splendor – A Special Exhibition of Mr. Peng Kai-dong’s Bequest“ started Friday, January 09, 2009, features some of the most representative and well-known “court year” artworks of the last imperial dynasty, the Qing Dynasty capital (current-day Beijing), in the 18th century.

Mr. Peng Kai-Dong, born in Hsin-chu (新竹), Taiwan (a.k.a. 風城 The Windy City) in 1912 lived his early years in Japan to make a living.  He often travelled to Taiwan, however eventually settled in Japan where his determination to succeed, original vision and social networking marked himself as the most successful businessman in the country.  After WW II, a great amount of antiquities were in exchange in the art market due to post-war socio-political instability, caught Mr. Peng’s eye, thus beginning his collection.

Mr. Peng held a recognized, long relationship with the National Palace Museum (NPM) through shared interest in Buddhist art.  In fond of his homeland in later years, Mr. Peng lent is collection of gilt bronze Buddhist scriptures to the NPM in 1987, and in 1996, sold 32 to the Museum.  By 2004, he donated 358 bronze sculptures and objects from his collection and a special exhibition , “The Casting of Religion,” was based solely on his donations, organized in the same year.  In his passing recently, in November 24, 2006, his will allowed a final donation of 48 pieces to the Museum.

Among the many works in the museum, one stands as the centrepiece in the event: a painting of the sun and moon simultaneously rising as the five planets align; an event known as a syzygy, (popularly believed phenomenon to bring a year of peace and of a bountiful harvest).  The true-life event that inspired this work occurred on the first day of the first month (Chinese New Year) of the Qien-Lung Emperor’s 26th year of reign, dated 1761.

Hsu Yang's "Syzygy of the Sun, Moon, and the Five Planets" depicts the sun and moon rising together as the five planets line up. The work of art is on display at the National Palace Museum through March 25 as part of the special exhibition "New Year Paintings of the Ching Capital." (Courtesy of the National Palace Museum)

Other works such as the “New Year Paintings of the QLing Capital” features 12 sets of paintings in hand scroll, hanging scroll, and album leaf formats from the NPM collection,  related to the Chinese “court year,” representing the start of Qing dynasty’s new year (1644 – 1911).

“The particular pieces on display are among the most beautiful and famous works of the Ching period related to the Chinese New Year,” commented Lina Lin, curator of the upcoming exhibition, and associate researcher of the NPM’s painting and calligraphy department.

According to the China Post article released on January 9, 2009, Lin took almost two years, and 26 art volumes before deciding on the selection to be displayed for the awaiting exhibition.  One is able to expect some featured art to be dated as far back as Chien-Lung’s reign (1736-1795), at the height of Qing Dynasty’s power.

Lin goes on to explain,  “This rare event was seen as especially auspicious…

“The painting was therefore commissioned to commemorate the occasion and in honor of the emperor.”

Chen Shu's "Beautiful Scene for the New Year," depicts blossoms associated with the first lunar month, next to lily roots, persimmon, spirit fungus, and an apple, the Chinese terms for which are homonyms for auspicious phrases. (Courtesy of the National Palace Museum)

Among the eye-catching highlights, is Chen Shu’s “Beautiful Scene for the New Year,” a hanging scroll of flower and fruit arrangements, depicting an assemblage of chimonanthus, camellia, dahlia, and narcissus — blossoms parallel with the first lunar month.

One may observe that next to the planter, are lily roots, persimmon, spirit fungus, and an apple; all Chinese homonyms for  “Shih Shih Ju Yi (May all things go as you wish)” and “Ping An Ju Yi (May you have peace and everything that you want).” The flowers, interestingly enough, are not dipped in water but in soil; a symbol of “continuity and permanence.”

The exhibition has officially begun January 9, unto March 25, 2009.

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The National Palace Museum has completed it long renovation and reopened in 2006. Among the famous exhibit we saw was the “Jade Cabbage” and “Meat shaped stone” and many others. Plenty of Chinese history to absorb here.

Ximending.

Introducing my mum to Ay Chung’s oyster mee-suar.

I was born in Taipei but came to the States when I was 3 and haven’t been back since the fourth grade. Last summer, I went back to visit family for the first time in 15 years and was amazed at how modern and metropolitan it had become since my last trip.

Here are some hotspots I was able to fit into my week-long trip.

Shi Lin Night Market—Taipei is world renowned for its night markets, and the one in Shi Lin is considered the largest and most famous in the city. Night markets are pretty much a mix of street vendors and semi-indoor stalls that open around 4 p.m. and stay open well past midnight. You can find anything here and for cheap: clothing, dvds, jewelry, accessories; you name it, you’ll probably find it. Do go hungry; the food is the best. Some things to try:

toppings for shaved ice and lemon aiyu on the right

• 

  num num num

  fried chicken steak- the pieces are as big as your head

• lemon aiyu – an icy, sweet and refreshing drink
• shaved ice – with toppings ranging from fresh fruits to sweet red bean
• bubble tea, with boba (tapioca pearls) – love, love, love.
• grilled Taiwanese sausages
• kebabs – pork, chicken, squid, the list goes on and on
• oyster omelets
• ohahmisua – oyster vermicelli in soup
• sheng jian bao – buns filled with pork, mushroom, or cabbage
• stinky tofu – I personally can’t bring myself to eat this, but it’s famous and a lot of people I know love it.

Taipei 101—Currently the tallest building in the world and hailed as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World by Newsweek Magazine. There are 101 floors of shopping, dining, private businesses and clubs.

Visit the observation deck at the top for panoramic views of the city and a self-guided tour on one of their handheld devices.

Danshui—A popular waterfront location north of Taipei that offers views of beautiful sunsets. Ferries run across the river and there are fine dining seafood restaurants and coffee shops. There’s a night market here too, and look out stores specializing in traditional handcrafts and arcades, where people can try to catch live fish with paper nets. You can also buy baby turtles for pets.

Danshui at sunset

Ximending—The “Harajuku” of Taipei. It’s a trendy pedestrian area for shopping, especially for shoes and clothes. There are more than 20 theaters and 3,000 vendors, and is a popular area for small concerts, album launches and street performances.

Ximending

More shopping? Try the Taipei Underground Market and the Shin Kong Life Tower.

Nightclubs—There are several all-you-can-drink nightclubs, with prices averaging around 600 NT, which comes out to about $17.95 US. A friend and I went to Party Room in the Living Mall and I was surprised to find that the music was mostly mainstream hits in the US.

National Palace Museum—This museum  has one of the world’s largest collection of more than 650,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, most of which were owned by China’s ancient emperors. The jade cabbage and piece of pork carved from jasper are among the most famous pieces.

Lin Family Gardens—An ancient Chinese traditional style mansion and garden with many pavilions, arches and ponds.

A bridge spanning a pond in the Lin Family Gardens, located in Banchiao.

Stumble It!

The thing I like about Taiwan’s National Palace Museum is the words carved on the grand entrance gate. Styled in rich classical chinese architecture and em-blazed with Sun Yat-Sen’s maxim, which translates to the idea of republicanism. “The world belongs to the people”… You won’t see such architecture in Singapore.

My first sightseeing trip was to the National Palace Museum. It was Double Ten Day so admission was free.

There was a special calligraphy exhibit showing and it was so mobbed that I didn’t see much of it. But I plan to go back to the museum for another visit anyway. For this first visit I only saw the second floor items. The museum’s collection is astounding to an almost ridiculous extent; looking at stunning piece after stunning piece, feet starting to ache, I found myself getting a little numbed to it all, thinking, “ho hum…yet another famous, world-class art piece of enormous value.”
(For instance, a Chenghua chicken cup)

And then I saw some ceramics that made me forget about my aching feet. The Ming dynasty ceramics were my favorites; I would show you pictures of them if I could, but I haven’t found any on the web.

Some paintings I liked:
Fishermen returning on a frosty bank
Returning late from a spring outing

Of course, there’s no picture taking in the museum, so I just have a few shots of the outside, below.

Front gate to the National Palace Museum

National Palace Museum garden in the rain

National Palace Museum garden in pouring rain