After looking around Lungshan, one can travel east for 15 minutes to the red-brick built Chinan Church (
The Taipei Confucius Temple (台北孔廟) is 20 minutes northwest of the church and honors one of the greatest philosophers and teachers of all time, Confucius, who valued simplicity. This quality is echoed in the building of the temple. Here, there are no ornate decorations -- unlike other Taipei temples -- and no images of Confucius.
On the roof of the main hall of the temple, there are constructions that look like chimneys. These were used to hide books when the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty burned books and killed scholars in order to keep his subjects illiterate.
Confucius' birthday is celebrated in Taiwan as Teachers Day, on Sept. 28, when solemn ceremonies and ritual dances are performed at dawn.
Twenty-five minutes to the east of the Confucius Temple is the National Palace Museum (故宮博物院), which contains hundreds of thousands of antiques, literary works and paintings. Bronzes, ceramics, jades and miscellaneous objects are collected, restored and kept for posterity. Tapestries, calligraphies and paintings are also kept at the National Palace Museum, another fascinating place to visit.
At 508m, Taipei 101 (一零一摩天大樓) is now the tallest office building in the world. It takes about 20 minutes to get there from the National Palace Museum, but it can be seen from far away. Though construction isn't completed yet, the mall is open and has a cornucopia of first-class shops to visit and browse. Taipei 101 represents the fact that, today, Taiwan stands tall.
From the Taipei 101 to traditional temples, Taipei is filled with many interesting people and bountiful opportunities. Put together, all these landmarks, diverse cultures and unique experiences are pieces that form the giant and colorful puzzle that is Taipei today.
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