Ximending, March 2010

Ximending, the place to be for young people of Taipei

I wrote about Ximending before and posted some photos, but those were taken in the evening. Yesterday I took the effort to return to Ximending at day time and see how it looks like. I must say it was pretty cool. And it's a huge pedestrian area, it's like a city on its own. Some parts are run down, but somehow that makes it special and cool. There's really many kids, from highschool to students, but also many adults, even elderly. You have cinemas, pubs, clubs, cafés, boutiques, few hawkers and a lot of restaurants, that can be in the upper floors and have some funny or cute themes. I saw one restaurant where people sat on swings, not chairs. That was interesting. Ximending is definitely a district, that needs a lot of time to explore, because there are so many hidden corners. Let me show you what I saw here today:

Step down at the Ximen Station and exit at Exit 6...



...and you'll find yourself in Ximending, where the cool kids hang out.



One of the main pedestrian areas of Ximending



It was a warm, but cloudy afternoon. There was a lot of young people that day.



All I thought was: Poor guy. What do you think?



The main pedestrian area from a different direction.



I thought: Wow, a blonde man like me... but then I thought: No, not really.



It seems that girls of Taipei love black stockings and boots, I've seen a lot of them.



Angel singing on the street. She seemed a but uneasy, it needs some courage, I guess.



Many elderly enjoy to observe the youngsters passing by.



This almost freaked me out! And not only the MJ puppet is freaky. Everything is!



When I crossed here, a cute girl said "Hello!" to me. I said "Hi!" and went on.



Ximending is a lot about street fashion. You can buy all kinds of clothes there.



Walking made me tired, too. But this time, I won't behave like the dog.

What's your impression of Ximending? Do you like It? Any observations?

[Main XIMENDING post][My TAIWAN page][All photos by MKL, 2010]

Grand Hotel, Taipei

One of the most impressive buildings in Taipei

It was a hot and clear day, when I headed to the northern part of Taipei City to make photos of the famous Grand Hotel. It's located near the Jiantan MRT station, built on a small hill. I had to walk a while to finally see the impressive hotel slowly appearing in all its glory in front of my eyes. It looks magnificent from afar, but even more so from close. Designed by the famous Taiwanese architect Yang Cho-cheng (楊卓成, it's known as the world's tallest Chinese classic building (87m). The hotel was established in 1952, however the current building was built in 1973. The hotel was much smaller between before that. More info on the hotel's homepage.

I didn't go inside, but my girlfriend told me, it's not as impressive as the exterior part. Nevertheless, it's one of the most amazing buildings I've ever seen and it's definitely one of Taipei's landmarks you have to see, if you come to visit the city.

Pictures taken on a hot day in February:

I had to walk 10min away from the MRT station, when I came to this small garden.

I saw stairs, they led me up. The sky was bright, the day was sunny. I took the challenge.

Once I was up, this view presented itself to me. It was breathtaking. It is indeed a grand hotel.

A very neat little garden, that leads the way up to the hotel's main entrance.

The old gate, very impressive, with the red-green theme, that matches the hotel.

The Grand Hotel from close. A big stress was put on the details.

The main entrance: Many buses were standing here, a lot of visitors, mostly Asian.

The Grand Hotel, side view.

The Grand Hotel seen from the park. Green and red: a perfect mix.

If you come to Taipei even for a day, go and see the Grand Hotel, it's really impressive. You won't see such building on every corner, that's for sure. For me, it's one of the most interesting sights of Taipei. I will definitely return there one day.

[My TAIWAN page][My TAIPEI page][All photos by MKL, 2010]

228 Peace Memorial Park, Taipei

228 Memorial park in Taipei City, Taiwan

Walking through this park relaxed me. Although it was a very hot day, I seemed to forget the heat and the hustle and bustle of Taipei's city center. I saw birds chirping and squirrels hopping around, elderly resting, even sleeping. It was as if I entered a new world. If you're tired of walking around Taipei City, this park is the best place for you to take a breather.

However relaxing my stroll was, the 228 Peace Memorial Park (228和平紀念公園) is a reminder of a very sad part of Taiwanese history. It is named after the 228 Incident. On February 28, 1947 Taiwanese rose up against the new nationalist government and were massacred by the military. The Chinese nationalists (Kuomintang) have retreated to Taiwan in 1945 and taken over the governance of the island from the Japanese, who were defeated during World War II. The new government however, was not very liked by the local Taiwanese. Corruption and nepotism were widespread, which lead to an uprising, that was sadly brutally suppressed by the military. Estimates say that between 10.000 and 30.000 people died. The incident also marked a beginning a long era of the so called White Terror, a period of the longest martial law in history (from 1949 to 1987). In 1988 Taiwan became democratic and in 1995 the taboo of the 288 Incident was officially acknowledged and openly discussed by the president. Since then the 228 Incident is commemorated every year on Feb 28. [Info sources 1, 2, 3]

A majestic pavilion.

One of my favorite photos of the park.

The top of the pavilion, Shin Kong Life Tower behind.

Reminds me of the Hyangwongjeong pavilion in Seoul.

Water around the pavilion.

Taipei 228 Monument.

Confucius monument.

[Related post][Taiwan][All photos by MKL, 2010]

My Taipei 101 at day photos

My best photos of Taipei's landmark building

These are my photos of Taipei 101 taken during the day. The newest photos are on top, the oldest are at the bottom. I will add more in the future, so please come back and check them out. Check also my photos of Taipei 101 at night. I would appreciate your comments. Thank you.

Taipei 101 on July 17, 2010 by my girlfriend Lily.

Taipei 101 on March 25, 2010.

Taipei 101 on March 2, 2010.

Taipei 101 on February 24th, 2010.

Taipei 101 in February 24, 2010.

Taipei 101 on February 24, 2010.

Taipei 101 in February 23, 2010.

Taipei 101 in February 21, 2010.

Taipei 101 in February 17, 2010.

[My TAIPEI 101 post][My TAIPEI page][All photos by MKL except one by Lily, 2010]

My photos of rainy Sinjhuang

Sinjhuang during Chinese new year 2010

These days it's so cold and rainy in Sinjhuang, in the area where I live. My girlfriend and I try to stay inside and warm up in bed. Unlike Slovenians, Taiwanese don't heat in winter. And winters can be pretty cold in Northern Taiwan, especially if it rains for days. It's usually between 10-15 degrees. I wonder how come some guys can wear sandals, when they go out. It's true, I've came to Taipei during the Slovenian winter 2009/2010, which was extremely cold (-21 degrees C one morning), but I still feel kinda cold here. I just don't like rainy weather.

Here are some photos of rainy Sinjhuang during Chinese new year. Streets are empty, traffic is smooth, people seem to be at home rather than outside:

The river is full of water.

On a normal day this would be full of scooters.

Signage explosion!

Taiwanese ride scooters even in heavy rain: admirable.

It's interesting, how the main road splits.

So many signboards again.

Fresh veggies for the consumers.

Hope the rain goes away soon...

The road seems endlessly long.

This house looked interesting to me. A little gloomy, though.

[Taiwan page][All photos by MKL, 2010]