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Taipei or also officially known as the Taipei City is the capital and also a special municipality of Taiwan that sits on the northern tip of the island. It is the enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that is about 25 km southwest of the Keelung port town, with most parts of the city being located in the ancient lakebed of Taipei Basin. As of 2015, it is home to 2,704,810 residents, forming a major part of the Taipei-Keelung Metropolitan Area together with New Taipei and Keelung. During the Qing dynasty, it was once known as Taipeh-fu while under the Japanese rule, it was known as Taihoku.
Before the influx of Han Chinese immigrants during the Qing dynasty rule, Ketagalan plains aborigines would inhabit the Taipei Basin area. Later in 1887, when Fukien-Taiwan province was declared, Taipei or Taipeh-fu was made a temporary capital before appointed formally in 1894. A year later, Treaty of Shimonoseki signed after the First Sino-Japanese War would lead to Taiwan becoming a colony of Imperial Japan and Taipeh-fu is renamed as Taihoku and made as this capital colony. Advanced urban planning occurred rapidly under the Japanese rule, bringing over much of the landmarks and cultural institutions in present Taipei. After the surrender of Japan to the United States in 1945, Taiwan was handed over to the Republic of China. Later, the ruling Kuomintang lost mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War. Consequently, they moved back to Taiwan and declared Taipei as the provisional capital of the Republic of China. In 1990, Taipei became the main venue for the Wild Lily student rallies that caused a paradigm shift from one-party rule to multi-party democracy five years later. Since then, Taipei serves as the seat of Taiwan’s democratically elected government.
Taipei quickly becomes the centre of politics, economy, education and culture of the country, being one of the major hubs in East Asia. It is a global city and part of a major high-tech industrial area, with connections to all parts of the island via railways, high-speed rail, highways, airports and bus lines.
The climate of Taipei is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical one, with long-lasting, hot and humid summers and occasional rainstorms and typhoons; winters are short, warmer and foggy due to the northeasterly winds from the vast Siberian High. Daytime temperatures peak above 26 degrees Celsius and dip below than that in a rainy summer. It is also affected by the Pacific typhoon season due to its location in the Pacific Ocean.
Unquestionably, the prominent language in Taipei would be Mandarin. Nonetheless, there are also local dialects and other variants being spoken such as the Taipei's Mandarin, Hokkien, Matsu, Hakka and aboriginal languages known as the Formosan languages.
Anyone wanting to visit Taipei can board a plane from Kuala Lumpur and head on to Taoyuan International Airport IATA: TPE). It is located about 40 kilometres west of Taipei in Dayuan District, Taoyuan, which is the largest and busiest airport in the country. It is one of five Taiwanese airports with regular international flights and is operated by the Taoyuan International Airport Corporation. In 2016, it was ranked the best airport for its size in the Asia-Pacific region by Airports Council International. Formerly known as Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, it was renamed to its current name on 2006. There is also another airport in Taipei, namely the Taipei Songshan Airport which is found within the city area and became the only international airport until 1979. There are also limited cruise services going in and out of Taipei and surrounding areas operated by Star Cruises from Keelung and Kaohsiung to Hong Kong and other Japanese islands, as well as and Quanzhou.
Going around Taipei and even to other cities are pretty much well established due to the extensive domestic carriers, high-speed rails, train stations available in all major cities and bus networks jointly operated by local governments or private companies running shuttle services. Taxis could be useful for end-to-end trips as well, and you can rent a scooter, motorcycle and cars if you want to explore Taipei on your own accord.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 or formerly known as Taipei World Finance Center is a landmark supertall skyscraper in Xinyi District, Taipei. It was the world’s tallest building from 2004 and only remained so till the completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in the year 2010. It is also the largest green building ever erected, having received the platinum LEED certification. Serving as the modern icon of Taiwan since its operation, it was architecturally designed as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition.
Shilin Night Market
Shilin Night Market is a night market in Shilin District of Taipei, which is the most renowned as well as the biggest night market in the city. It has two distinct stations; one formerly housed in the old Shilin Market building with 539 food stalls and small restaurants, as well as surrounding businesses and shops selling non-food items. Nearby, cinemas, video arcades and karaoke bars are also prevalent. Typically it starts operating around 4 pm and would continue operating well past midnight, around 1 to 2 am. Due to the opening of the Taipei Metro system, the tourist traffic has increased in recent years.
National Palace Museum
Located in Taipei and Taibao, the National Palace Museum has a collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artefacts and artworks, making one of the largest of its kind in the world. This collection amasses nearly 8,000 years of history of Chinese art beginning from the Neolithic age, with most of them being high-quality pieces collected by China’s emperors. The National Palace Museum shares its roots with the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. The museum is also an ideal place to be visited during your honeymoon trip here in Taipei.
Beef Noodles
A dish that is the pride of the nation as well as Taipei in particular, beef noodles is one the most liked common cuisines around. It requires three essential elements to make delicious beef noodles which are noodles, broth and beef, with the broth being especially crucial because it is the soul of beef noodles. There are two kinds of beef noodles, braised and clear stewed that come with stewed sirloin and cow tendon. This dish is easily found as the main staple by the street vendors around Taipei. The dish is perfect to be savoured with friends and family.
Soup Dumplings
Originated from the south of Changjiang, soup dumplings typically features small size, a considerable amount of fillings, juicy and fresh taste, thin wrapper and exquisite shape. The main component of the traditional soup dumplings would be the soup itself, whereas chefs would spread flour on the rolling pin before rolling the dough in order to obtain paper-thin wrappers and nice presentation. Traditional soup dumplings have at least 14 folds each; however, for shops that are particularly careful about their dumplings like Din Tai Fung, a soup dumpling might have over 18 folds.
Chicken Cutlet
Chicken cutlet has earned a special status among the Taiwanese as well as the people in Taipei as “evilest national food that is most-liked”. There is also a lot more variety in flavours ranging from chilli pepper to various seasonings like five-spice, seaweed and wasabi, as well as variants like barbecued chicken cutlet with sweet sauce and Japanese-style cheese chicken cutlet with cheese fillings. The cooking method would also vary from the traditionally deep fried version to charcoal grilled or cheese casserole. There are also vendors that feature gigantic chicken cutlets or chicken thigh cutlets to attract more customers.
Wulai
Wulai is a district known for its picturesque valleys and aborigine villages, being easily accessible from Taipei via bus or taxi. The main feature in Wulai is often its hot springs which are abundant in nature, ranging from the public hot springs to the private ones like the Volando Urai which comes complete with a private room. To know more about the local and aboriginal culture, there is also the Wulai Atayal Museum which is dedicated to these people and showcasing their history and rich culture. Admissions are free too! Last but not least, Wulai also offers amazing waterfall which is the Wulai Waterfall which is 20 to 25 minutes away from the Wulai Old Street.
Tamsui
Tamsui is a part of the New Taipei City, which is not too far from Taipei, hence a day trip to cover the area is possible via the MRT system. It is a seaside district that is close to the beach and sea, as well as being one of the nicest places to enjoy a gorgeous sunset view. Yet there are also other places in town that are worthy of visiting such as Tamsui Old Street and Waterfront that gives you the vintage feel that is different from the Taipei city proper; Fort San Domingo which is not far from the Tamsui Old Street as well as Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf and Lover’s Bridge that has terrific views which are perfect for photo shoots.
With the flight and ticket package available at Traveloka Malaysia, you can visit Taipei more easily and cheaper. Choose a variety of tour packages that we offer, and modify as you like to get the combination you want.
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