Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

Lonely Planet review

Occupying an entire city block, the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall serves as a cultural centre (concerts, performances and special events), a large public park and a museum of the life of the man considered the founder of modern China.

A huge statue of Dr Sun sits in a cavernous lobby facing the park to the south. It's guarded by two implacable sentries - you can watch the changing of the guards, an intricate choreography involving much spinning of bayoneted rifles and precision stepping. This happens twice a day. Morning visitors practising taichi on the grounds provide another kind of choreography. You'll also find the excellent Discovery Centre of Taipei on the grounds.