29 – 30 December 2013 Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan- a great place for food and history. Tainan city holds few interesting sites- a few temples here and there but compare it with Anping- the latter is the best. Anping is the historical heart of Tainan and home to the Anping Old Fort (50TWD). Europeans came to trade and develop colonial outposts in the early 17th century. The Dutch occupied present-day Anping in 1624 and took a decade to build Fort Zeelandia. In 1662, the name was changed to King Castle/Anping Castle and when the Japanese rebuilt it and gave it its present name. The only Dutch remains are the ruins of a semicircular bulwark, section of the outer fort’s brick wall and the root of a banyan tree. A walk around the old town with its alleys, unique shops and residential areas is soothing. Everything is walkable. Although this empty…
Taiwan
Taiwan – Familiar yet unfamiliar Formosa
Taiwan: Alishan
27-28 December 2013 The bus from Chiayi Train Station made its way slowly up the windy road and arrived at the car park area. It’s a busy place filled with restaurants, stores and hostels. Many accommodations are overly priced so despite scoring low in terms of comfort, LiXingShanZhuang is one of the best deals at Alishan. The Alishan# area was originally settled by the Taiwanese aborigines. Clashes with ethnic Chinese settlers (19th Century) pushed them further into the mountains. During their involvements with Taiwan, Japan found large quantities of cypress and developed a logging industry. The railway was built to help with transportation, villages popped up and development took off. It was only in the 1970’s that logging was halted. Alishan National Forest Recreation Area is a range of mountains and consists of 4 villages, waterfalls, tea plantations, a railway and several hiking trails. It is 10 degrees cooler than Chiayi.…
Taiwan: Taipei then Tamsui
25 – 26 December 2013 To start the day, I walked past the Presidential Office Building and had breakfast with some squirrels at 228 Peace Park. Designed by a Japanese during the period when Japan ruled Taiwan from 1895- 1945, it used to be the office of the Governor-General. This building became the Presidential Office in 1950 after the ROC lost control of the Mainland and relocated its capital to Taipei. I made my way to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. In front of the Hall is “Freedom Square”. As the name implies, it is a place where locals can voice their disapproval of the government and respective policies. Celebrations, protests, shows and concerts are all at the heart of this area. After all, this is THE symbol of Taipei and R.O.C. The pigeons add a much more homey feel to a place that would otherwise be empty without it. The…
Taiwan: The National Palace Museum
24 December 2013 It was way past midnight and transport from Taiyuan airport proved to be easy and efficient. Kuo-Kuang Bus (125 TWD) took me to the main train station where taxis were waiting outside in an uniformed line. Mr Bai, the taxi driver was particularly concerned about my safety. “It is nearly 1am and you are by yourself. Please be careful because unfortunately girls are always targeted.” Mr Bai works the night shift and we chatted. He thinks that the Taiwanese economy is going down and Taiwan is stuck in a sticky position when it comes to the Cross-Strait relationship. He apologised for causing any offence when he found out that I work and live in Beijing. My family is not fond of politics. Due to China’s turbulent past, my family was divided into the nationalists, the communists and the nothingists. My immediate family belongs to the third group so varying…