Sights in Taiwan
-
Kenting National Park
The official website is more than thorough in its introduction to the park.
There's free wireless internet at the National Park Headquarters and the McDonalds on Kenting Rd. There are ATMs in the 7-Elevens in Kenting Village on the main road.
reviewed
-
-
Alishan Forest Train
Running on narrow-gauge track (762mm) and ascending to 2216m from a starting altitude of 30m in just 3½ hours, the forest train offers a ride that can be found today in only two other locations: the Chilean Andes and the Indian Himalayas. It's rightly seen by Taiwanese as a national treasure and a potential candidate for Unesco Heritage status.
The total length of track is 86km and, remarkably, within this short distance three climatic zones are traversed. From a usual muggy start at Chiayi train station (30m above sea level), the train rolls slowly though a tropical zone comprised of banana and longan plantations and then forests of figs, longans, acacia and bamboo. From…
reviewed
-
A
Anping Fort
The fort was a stronghold of Dutch power until captured by Koxinga in 1661 after a nine-month battle. Though most of the structure has been reconstructed, it's still an impressive site. A small museum on the grounds highlights the history of the Dutch occupation of Taiwan.
The fort sits behind the Matsu temple.
reviewed
-
Anping Old Streets
Anping has some of the oldest streets in Taiwan, including Siaojhong Street (效忠街; Xiàozhōngjiē), and Yenping Street (延平街; Yánpíngjiē), both of which are to the right of Anping Fort as you face the entrance. Siaojhong St is the more interesting and leads to a number of back alleys with restored brick buildings. Yenping St, site of the first market in Taiwan, has been turned into a dull tourist lane, although it's worth a visit to sample traditional Tainan foods.
As you wander about, look for stone lion masks (劍獅; jiànshī) with swords across the mouth. These were once used to both protect a house against evil and to identify it. There are a few dozen…
reviewed
-
B
Armed Forces Museum
Like weapons and selective retellings of 20th-century military history? Then this museum might be for you. Focusing on the military history of the Republic of China (ROC), the three-storey museum houses artefacts and items ranging from the early days of warlord pacification and the struggle against Japanese invasion to the battle between the Nationalists and communists, and finally into the ROC government's temporary movement to Taiwan. Laminated placards on the wall offer translations into English and Japanese.
reviewed
-
C
Baguashan
Changhua is best known for the 22m-high Great Buddha Statue (八卦山大佛像; Bāguàshān Dàfóxiàng) that sits atop Baguashan (八卦山; Bāguàshān) looking down over the city. The statue and its surrounding parkland are noted for a harmonious and tranquil atmosphere. But it wasn't always so.
Baguashan slopes towards Changhua, affording views not only over the whole of the city, but far out to sea. Not surprisingly, it was for centuries an important military observation zone. After the Sino-Japanese War ceded Taiwan to Japan, a great battle was fought on these grounds between Taiwanese resistance fighters and imperial troops. The militarisation of Baguashan…
reviewed
-
-
Beishan Fifth Tunnel
reviewed
-
D
Beitou Hot Spring Museum
On the site of one of the original Japanese-era hot-spring baths, this handsome museum mixes a Victorian-style exterior with a variety of other architectural designs inside. Upstairs, wooden verandahs surround a large Japanese-style tatami room where bathers once took tea and relaxed after their baths. The former baths downstairs feel almost Roman in their construction. Don't let being asked to remove your shoes for admission fool you into getting your hopes up; there is no actual bathing allowed at this museum.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
E
Believe it or Not
reviewed
-
Birdlife International
reviewed
-
-
F
Breast Touching Lane (Mo-Lu Lane)
The narrowest alley in Lukang, also called Gentleman's Lane (Mōlǔshàng), gets it comical label from the fact that a man could not pass a woman down the narrow inner passageway without her breasts brushing against him. The true gentleman would always wait for a lady to pass through first. Take a stroll through the lane with someone you love – or hope to.
reviewed
-
Buddha Hand Cave
A few blocks northwest of Keelung Harbour you'll find a medium-sized shrine built into a mountain. Entering this and following the signs leads deep into an underground cave, inside of which you'll find both a second shrine and an imprint on the ceiling that resembles nothing less than a giant hand. Locals say the underground temple dates back at least 400 years. Lending credence to this idea is barely decipherable graffiti in a variety of scripts etched into the cave walls.
reviewed
-
G
Carol Young Clayart Workshop
Carol Young is a local artist who works with clay and specialises in creating three-dimensional clay figures that are, quite frankly, charmingly cute. Her shop in Tianmu is part gallery, part studio and part store, so you can drop in to look around, buy pre-made sculptures, or even arrange to have yourself or a loved one made immortally adorable.
reviewed
-
H
Changhua Arts Museum & Hongmao Well
The museum sits in Jungshan Hall, a lovely heritage building that once again serves as a performance theatre, lecture hall and art gallery.
On the grounds of the museum is the 300-year-old Hongmao Well (紅毛井; Hóngmáo Jǐng), the last of the original Dutch-built wells (hence the name Hongmao, meaning 'red hair') in central Taiwan.
reviewed
-
I
Chenghuang Temple
This is the spiritual centre of Chiayi and a third-grade historical site. The Chenghuang Temple is dedicated to the city god, who has an obvious great affection for his people. Among his many efficacious deeds, Chenghuang is said to have thwarted an attack by French forces on Chiayi in the late 19th century.
First constructed in 1715, much of the best parts of the temple hail from a 1941 reconstruction (the multistory back annexe was built in the 1980s). There are some excellent examples of traditional temple arts and architecture here: look for the gorgeous spiderweb plafond ceiling, elaborately carved wood brackets, stone dragon pillars, and two rows of lively cochin…
reviewed
-
Chihpen (Zhiben) Forest Recreation Area
It's worth coming to Chihpen just to wander this jungly landscape's trails, especially the upper slopes to see the giant white-bark fig trees. Unlike the vines of willows, with these 'weeping figs' it's the aerial roots that make the trees seem soulful.
On almost every visit to the forest park, you will see Formosan macaques crashing about overhead and may even catch a glimpse of the tiny Reeves' muntjac deer (barking deer), which makes a strange barking sound like a dog.
To get to the forest recreation area, either catch a bus from Taitung (all buses to the hot-spring area should stop here) or simply follow the signs to Chihpen Hot Springs and drive through the hotel…
reviewed
-
Chihsing Tan Katsuo Museum
This museum near Chihsingtan Beach is dedicated to…dried bonito. All we can say is ???
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Chingszu Temple
The simple white and grey exterior of the 10-storey Chingszu Temple is striking. Inside, a large exhibition hall showcases the Tzu Chi Buddhist organisation's activities around the world. Exhibits are in English and Chinese. The temple is a couple of kilometres north of the train station.
reviewed
-
Chin Ho Li Steel Knife Factory
reviewed
-
Chunghwa Postal Museum
Stamps, uniforms and so, so, so much more for a token admission price.
reviewed
-
Chungshan Hall
Built in 1965 to commemorate Dr Sun Yat-sen's centennial birthday, this beautiful circular-roofed structure once served as a convention site for the now-defunct national assembly. Easily as ornate as Yangming Shuwu, the building is worth visiting while taking a break from hiking.
reviewed
-
Ciaotou Sugar Factory
In 1902 the flat, fertile strip of land in Ciaotou Township (to the north of Kaohsiung) saw the start of industrial development in Taiwan with the opening of a modern sugar factory. Now the opening of the KMRT has been instrumental in breathing life back into this charming bit of old Taiwan.
Ciaotou (橋頭糖廠; Qiáotóu Tángchǎng) consists of a defunct yellow factory (which you can walk into, and explore the old mechanisms and vats) and an old village that retains most of its early-20th-century flavour. In addition to clumps of common red-brick residences, there are a number of handsome old offices in what is called the Japanese Dutch Colonial style.
The sugar factory…
reviewed