I have visited Taipei much more frequently since joining my current company. Many of the companies that use our graphics chips are headquartered there.
Taiwan is the most awesome blend of Japanese and Chinese cultures. During the 70s and 80s, Japan had a huge influence on Taiwan - because relations were so bad with mainland China. In addition, Japan was the strongest economy at that time. Walking around Taipei feels very much like some of the smaller cities in Japan (convenience stores, sidewalk layout, department stores). However, the capitalistic push and surge of traffic, people and malls - reminds me of China.
Within Taipei, you can find some beautiful sites. Take the Taiwan Opera House, for example. This building is enormous, but set within some really peaceful, pretty gardens:
In this close-up, you can see the intricate detail of the tile colors and craftsmanship (it's worth enlarging the picture by clicking). It's hard to understand how big this really is, from this picture's viewpoint:
The Opera House is part of the Chang Kai Shek Memorial Park. Below, you can see the actual Memorial. Again, it's hard to convey the size of this building. To give you an idea, that little banner on the building is probably 20-30 ft. high:
In Taipei, you'll find Japanese department stores dominating the retail landscape. Below would probably be a favorite hang-out for my family. It's a Japanese-based chain, as the donuts are very cute:
Awwww...ain't that cute
However, the most impressive structure in Taiwan is the Taipei 101 building. Located in the heart of the city, it was - up until recently - the tallest building in the world. Once again, the photo doesn't do justice to the size of the building (I never have the time to get pictures from the right distance). Just the base of the building holds one of the largest malls that I've ever seen:
Freakin' huge
Also located in the middle of city is the LDS Taipei Temple. The real estate here must be exceptionally expensive, so the temple isn't large - and there are no gardens/parking around the building. However, the peace and calm that I feel whenever I get to see temples around the world, just can't be duplicated:
1 comment:
I remember when you put pictures on the family website last year and we thought we were going in October--one day we'll get there.
I was just working on my temple book tonight--I haven't yet added Boston, Copenhagen, Sacramento, Snowflake, Oklahoma City, and Ogden--we finally stepped foot on the grounds after years of driving by and trying to find it.
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