Taiwan - Major Cities
Taipei
| |
Photo
by Brian Lai |
|
| Click
on the image for larger version |
|
Taipei is Taiwan's largest city as well as its economic,
political, and cultural center. It is a modern cosmopolitan metropolis
with a lively and diversified face, filled with exuberance. Its buildings
provide much of the diversity, and visitors who are fond of historic sites
and old streets will not want to miss the work of traditional master builders
evident on Dihua Street in the Dadaocheng area or the Longshan Temple
in the Wanhus district, as well as other places.
The internationally renowned National Palace Museum has
an inexhaustible collection of precious historical Chinese arts and artifacts
that no visitor can afford to miss; Taipei is also home to many other
fine museums, including the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, National Museum of
History, and Postal Museum.
On the city's outskirts, the Yangmingshan National Park
has unique volcanic terrain, a rich variety of forest vegetation, and
an extensive network of hiking trails, making it a popular destination
for visitors from the Taipei area and elsewhere. Yangmingshan is one of
the places in the Taipei area where you can indulge yourself in a hot
mineral bath; for the pleasure of relieving the exhaustion of a day's
travels, you can also go to the hot springs of Beitou or Wulai.
Taipei also has the largest zoo in Taiwan, where you can
see the rare Formosan black bear, cuddly koalas, and stately king penguins.
The city's comprehensive rapid transit system takes you quickly to the
zoo or just about anyplace you might want to go in the metropolitan area.
|
