National Theater and Concert Halls

A spot in Taiwan that I will introduce to foreign visitors is The National Theater and Concert Halls(兩廳院), which is one of the most important spots and famous sightseeing places.

Where

The National Theater and Concert Halls are located in the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park (中正紀念公園), if you face the great Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall , in the right way is the National Theater Hall by the Aiguo E. Rd., and in the left way is the National Concert Hall by the Xinyi Rd.

What’s special?

The National Theater Hall and National Concert Halls look like two great traditions of ancient Chinese Palaces. The roofs are paved with glazed tiles, and the tall colonnades are in bright, Chinese red. Their exterior appearances appropriately match that of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
Some people always don’t know which one is the Concert Hall, and which one is the Theater Hall. Well, there is a tip---look at the roofs! The Theater Hall has a style of roof called “hip roof”, which is the highest class in traditional Chinese structures. And this style make the hall looks more noble and stable.
On the other side, the roof style of the Concert Hall is “gable and hip “, making the roof look like a mountain. Besides, it has two levels—a higher one and a lower one, so the Concert Hall looks more lively and energetic.

Their appearance look majestic, and their interior decorations look even more brilliant. The interior decorations are designed to be a blend of Chinese style with western style ingeniously. The ceiling was curved delicately into traditional Chinese patterns, while big, elegant crystal chandeliers sparkling from top. The paths are all covered with red carpet. Besides the two cream-colored marble stairs are the giant Chinese drum and the carved statue of ancient Chinese musician---showing the long Chinese history and culture. The concert hall has grand spaces; it totally has 2074 seats! And the biggest pipe organ (totally has 4712 pipes!) in Taiwan is also the special scene here. Last year (2007), the Concert Hall finished a special decoration--- “green wall”, lots of “living” plants grow on the wall, and are arranged into beautiful pictures, such as a shape of Taiwan on the wall! It’s really amazing and impressive. The Green Walls make the lobby look refreshed and makes this building look more modern. In contrast, the other side of the lobby’s wall is really old--- it is the first wet-fresco Masterpiece in Taiwan! All this gorgeous decorations make the National Theater and Concert Halls full of art-culture breathing!

History

The history of the National Theater and the National Concert Hall is as glamorous as the two buildings themselves. In 1975, ROC President Chiang Kai-Shek passed away. To commemorate him, the government decided to establish the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the National Theater and the National Concert Hall. The Twin Halls were mainly designed by C.C.Yang, with a total construction cost of NT seven billion! The entire complex was christened the “NationalChiangKai-shekCulturalCenter”. When they were first built, few large arts complexes existed in Asia, and the Twin Halls truly aroused the attention of international arts circles.

How to get there

There are many bus stops around the buildings, like Routes 15, 18, 20, 22, 38, 70, 204, 274,275, 293 or 294. Get off at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station or at the Xinyi Lisin Intersection station. You can also take the MRT station. Exit Gate 5 of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station, on the Xindian, Nanshijiao or Xiao Nanmen Lines. If you drive by yourself, don’t worry, there are parking places in the Basement 1.

Others

In my suggestion, you should take a one-day trip there. First, go visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall at about 9 or 10o’clock. This place is like a museum, and you will learn the history background at that time and Chiang Kai-shek’s life story. For lunch and dinner, you can go to Howard Gourmet Theater, which is located on the ground floor of the National Theater. After lunch, taking a walk with your friends and having a lovely picnic in its Chinese-style garden are the best choice. If you want to go shopping, there are many shops in the twin buildings, including NTCH Gift Shop and Eslite Bookstores Theater Live Store, etc. What’s more, you can make a reservation of “guide service” ,and a professional guider will lead you look around the Twin Halls with a detailed introduction. Finally, in the evening, you can go a concert and enjoy the bravo performance of NSO! It will be a well-arranged and wonderful day! :)

HAVE FUN IN TAIWAN ! :D

Website:

國立中正文化中心 http://www.ntch.edu.tw/
10048台北市中山南路21-1號

SPOT

Walking into the graceful garden, you will see a beautiful white house there. It is SPOT-Taipei Film House.
SPOT-Taipei Film House is formerly the residency of the U.S. Ambassador, now a convenient place for serving as the cultural creative industry. It was constructed in1925 and then selected to be a historic spot by Taipei government in 1997. Later,it became the window of cross-cultural exchange and creative industry in 2002.
In SPOT, there are several sections: Spot Cinema, which screens the fine-selected movies from all over the world, City Lights Eslite Bookstore, C25 Coffee Shop, the exhibition gallery, the multi-media conference room, and the Sixth Avenue - the finest winery lounge.
SPOT cinema has six showing of films daily,from 12 A.M. to 12 P.M. The films shown here are mainly fine films with creative approaches and culture diversity. The effort is to enhance the independent thinking towards a new viewing experience and vision. Also, these films are artistically distinguished from the main-stream Hollywood films.
City Lights Eslite Bookstore is a theme bookstore which focuses on the cinema and the city, creating a unique reading experience for the readers, different from any other bookstore they have been before. It serves as the gateway between the past and the future, or the East and the West.
C25 Coffee Shop is originally the reception room of the Embassy. It faces the graceful and lush garden and serves as the relaxing place for visitors. Now that it was changed into the Cafe shop, it provides not only mellow and aromatic coffee but also a space for deliberation, creation, and meditation.
The exhibition gallery and the multi-media conference room provide a space for artists to show their work to people. Spot would invite experts from different fields to hold activities with the public to stimulate the cultural communication, and explore different points of view in creative thinking process.
Every time I walk into Spot, I feel relaxed to sit in the C25 Coffee Shop. The movies in Spot make me want to understand different cultures and make me see the world in diverse ways. Spot not only provides a good place to relax but also a wonderful place to make the public to introduce art to the public from different perspectives. If you want to have fun there, you can take the MRT to get down in Chungshan station. Here is its map. Hope you enjoy your trip！

The 228 Peace Memorial Park

From the department of Civic Education and Leadership 101--Jessie Class-B 圖片跑不出，重新發佈文章

Take a break in 228 Peace Memorial Park

Are you tired of the hustle and bustle in city? However, you always say that you don’t have any free time to relax yourself. You think you are too busy to spare time for outdoor activities. Even you might complain that it takes much time to arrive the destination. Then I strongly suggest you to visit 228 Peace Memorial Park, which is easy to go and full of harmonious scenes, such as children running around, squirrels jumping up and down in the trees or families playing badminton. You will find it indeed a retreat in the busy Taipei city.

Where

The 228 Peace Memorial Park is on No.3 KETAGALAN Boulevard Taipei, near by Zong Tong Fu, National Taiwan Hospital, and Taipei Railway Station. It’s located right in downtown; therefore, almost every road leads to there. It’s easy to go and visit.

What’s so special?

There are numerous valuable cultural relics, from under the rule of Chin Emperor to present days. You can appreciate all of these in one time. For instance, the National Taiwan Museum built by Japanese, the 1st steam locomotive “Teng-Yung”, gifts from Manchukuo---two copper buffaloes in front of the National Taiwan Museum, and of course, the 228 Memorial Monument!

Why do I choose the spot?

1.Located in downtown, therefore, almost every road leads to there. It’s easy to go and visit.

2.There are many valuable cultural relics. Such as governors from Chin Emperor, colony under Japanese, and the present government R.O.C. which “once ruled” or “rules” Taiwan left numerous famous period pieces. It can tell foreigners what country once ruled the island, which leads to cultural variety in the island. In addition, it can also narrate the history of Taiwan to them in a short time.

3.For my personal reason, the 228 Memorial Peace Park is brimful of my childhood memories. It is like a part of my home. On weekend, my parents always took my sisters and me to there to relax. Because the park is located in downtown, it’s easy for us to reach. Consequently, every time we are free, we choose to go there and take many pictures. Thus, my families have regarded the park as a part of our home since I was young. In addition, it has recorded my life in Taipei. If I have the chance to be a tour guide of Taipei, I’ll definitely opt for it.

The must-visiting spots

There are three spots visitors should take a look. The first place is National Taiwan Museum built by Japanese in 1908. It’s the first museum in Taiwan and even honored as "the place where modern knowledge started in Taiwan”. Before it became a museum, it used to be a temple of Mazu, a goodness protecting people sailing on sea. During the Japanese colonial period, the government devastated the temple despite protests from the residents, and then built the museum to commemorate two viceroys, Kodama Gentaro and Godo Shinhei. Thus, the museum is quite gorgeous in Baroque style. Moreover, there are two copper buffaloes beside the gate. Rumor has it that it was a gift from Manchukuo.

The second place is Taipei 228 Monument. The reason why the government constructed it was that the governmental officers wanted to soothe the family in the incident, and apologize to the community that they had overreacted to confiscate illegal cigarettes, which result in the tragedy of 228. The monument was built in 1997. There are many profound meanings in its outlook. For instance, the unit of the monument is cube, meaning the mistakes of 228 incident are caused by man----unnatural. The two palms on the monument suggest the deep agony from the family about the incident. The deafening waterfall inside symbolizes people of the incident warning posterities not to make the same mistakes again. The 228 incident is truly a sad story in this island. Also, if visitors want to know more about cause and effect of the incident, they can visit Taipei 228 Memorial Museum. There are many historical documents about the incident in it.

You would never visit 228 Peace Memorial Park without going to its playground, where I spent much time with my family and took the most pictures! On the way, there are plenty of trees on the sidewalk. Sometimes you will find squirrels jumping between trees and climb down wondering if you bring some special snacks for them. You will see how lovely they are! On holidays, the playground is full of children’s laughter. The slides and swings are the hottest entertainment facilities. Old as it looks, many children like it very much. When I was little, I liked the swing the most. Feeling the warm wind passing by my hair, and laughing joyfully, I felt my vexation going with the wind. Nowadays, every time I walk by the slides and the swings, I think of my lightheartedness in my childhood. Their cute and innocent actions really delight me, for the joy and smiles are contagious.

↑ The National Taiwan Museum ↑

↑ The 228 Memorial Monument ↑

↑ The Playground ↑

Besides the mentioned above, there are still many places you can visit, such as the open-air music hall, pavilion on a small lake, a temple of Groundskeeper God and so on. The 228 Peace Memorial Park is indeed a retreat in Taipei. I recommend you to take a one-day trip with your friends or your family! Enjoy not only the cultural relics, but also the delightful atmosphere which is rare in busy Taipei city!

How to get there?

1.By MRT: exit 1 or exit 4 of NTU Hospital Station

2. By Bus: (1) at MRT NTU Hospital Station (on Gong Yuan Rd.) 20, 236, 251, 644, 621, 670, 245, 263, 241, 243, 651, 706, 513, 640, 5, 835, 656, 657, 0 East

(2) at 228 Peace Park (On Heng Yuan Rd.) 15, 22, 18, 257, 276, 513, 640, 835, 220, 247, 287, Xinyi Main Line

Enjoy your trip in Taipei! ^___^

Taichung Park

地理101 Sherry 施欣妤 491231034
As we think about Taichung city, several things might come to your mind, such as feng- chia night market(逢甲夜市)、Taichung harbor(台中港)、tai-yang-bing(太陽餅),etc. But Among those famous specialties and places, Taichung Park is to me the most worthwhile place to be introduced to the visitors who are planning to take a trip to Taichung. The reason why I think it’s the most worthwhile place to visit is that Taichung Park includes many historical monuments which were built during the Japanese colonization and many modern facilities such as playground and tennis court for citizens to exercise and spend their leisure time. Most of all, hu-shin-ting(湖心亭) which located inside the Taichung park is the symbol of the Taichung city. For the intriguing things I introduce above, one’s trip to Taichung won’t be completed without visiting it!
First, I would like to introduce the history of the Taichung Park. About one hundred years ago, in considering of the governing, Liou Ming Chuan(劉銘傳)chose Taichung as the capital for its central location. It was called Taiwan sheng cheng (台灣省城).Until now there is still a remnant of the ancient city in the park.
After that, during the period of Japanese colonization, Japanese torn down the city built by Liou and rebuilt a well-organized one. That is the model of the modern Taichung city. During this period, Japanese also built a park in the northern part of the city in order to provide a place for the citizens to take a rest and go exercise. And the park is now the Taichung Park.
In October, 24, 1908, to celebrate the completed construction of the rail, Japanese government held a ceremony in the Taichung Park. And hu- shin ting (湖心亭)was built to provide a place for Japanese royalty and gusts to relax.
With red tiles and white walls, the tower-combined building looks extremely elegant with the surrounding lake and trees. From then on, hu- shin ting (湖心亭)not only became one of the most beautiful places in the Taichung city but also the symbol of Taichung.
Taichung Park is the treasure of every Taichung citizen, and it is also a shared memory of Taichung people . For over one hundred years, even after several restructuring and repair schemes, Taichung Park stands proudly and telling everyone the history of Taichung city.
Taichung Park is near the Taichung train station where once the most prosperous part of the city was. From Taichung train station, you can go there by taking a bus in about 10 minutes or by walk in 15~20 minutes. It is really convenient to go to Taichung Park, so don’t forget to go there when you have a trip to Taichung.

Kaohsiung—─Love River

Paula Chen (國文系101級 陳彥蓉 497204287)


The name of Love River originates from the native people who lived near the river; they called it “Takao River” in their language. While the Japanese governed Taiwan, they changed the name into ”Kaohsiung River.” After a correspondent reported that a couple committed suicide at the “Love river”, the name ”Love River” had spread widely, and this story has being handed down by the elders. Love River has come to being since the Ming Dynasty and the square measure is about 150 square kilometer. It is a river that won’t be lack of water even during the dry season. Since the 1990s, the water quality has become better and better. There are also many species in the river.





There are many activities held at the Love River to celebrate the festivities. During the Dragon Boat Festival, you can row the dragon boat at Love River, and have a taste of rice dumpling. You can also join in the Lantern Festival. It is a festival for people having fun. On the night of the festival, people go on streets with a variety of lanterns under the full moon, play Chinese riddles and games, and lit up fireworks. It’s sparkling when you see the reflections of fireworks booming at Love River, and you’ll never forget about it!

Beside the bank of Love River, there’s the urban spotlight. You can have a rest here whenever you feel tired. The aroma of the fresh coffee always gives me a feeling of bliss. Sipping the coffee and listening to the musical performers, you can feel peaceful deep inside your heart, and enjoy the gentle touches of sunshine and the breeze.




You can also go bicycle-riding along Love River, there are special bike ways planned by the government. If you like to get close to the nature, you can just lie down on the grass and look at the blue sky or the shining stars. It’s a romantic place with a charming name, a place with great atmosphere, and a place to get together with friends.



Love River is not only a tourist attraction, but also a breath-taking site. The tranquility often makes people release from the stress, and outdoor activities add more spice and variety to our life.







*Map
You can take the red line MRT to central park station , walking along Wu-Fu 4th Road about 15 minutes , and then you will see Love River.