Despite the devastation caused by typhoon Xangsane, the southern route of the Taipei City tour buses will be launched as scheduled today.
The six city tour buses, emblazoned with the cartoon figure of "Chubby Dragon" (
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
The trial service run began on Oct. 7 with the northern route. The southern route, which will run on Saturdays and Sundays between today and Dec. 10, will cover eight stops.
Major tourist attractions include the Lungshan Temple (
Service hours will be 9am to 5pm, and the service will run at 20-to 25-minute intervals.
The starting point of the southern route will be the Taipei Main Station MRT stop.
Bus fares are NT$15 for adults; NT$12 for students, soldiers and police officers; and NT$8 for children, senior citizens and those who are physically and/or mentally handicapped.
Tataocheng (大稻埕)
1. Tihua Street (
2. Hsiahai Chenghuang Temple (
3. Customs Museum (
Tataocheng is where the Pingpu people (
It originated in the Han Dynasty when the Pingpu tribe, most of them farmers, sunned their rice on the empty lots along the Tamsui River.
After the place became a logistics center in 1858 when Tamsui harbor was open, many shops selling different kinds of dried goods sprang up around Tihua Street. The street then became Taiwan's largest wholesale and retail market for dried food and is still a popular shopping place, especially during Chinese New Year.
The approximately 140-year-old Hsiahai Chenghuang Temple is a place for the worship of the deity Chenghuang. You will find the streets and alleys packed with people on the 13th of the fifth lunar month when the deity is paraded through the streets.
The Museum of the Directorate General of Customs (關稅總局) under the Ministry of Finance is the city's only and the largest of its kind in the world. Admission is free.
Huachiang Waterfowl Nature Park (華江雁鴨自然公園站)
Established in 1996, the park is located off Huachiang Bridge where Tahan Creek and Hsintien Creek meet. The sanctuary is made up of three areas: the central zone, buffer zone and development area.
Lungshan Temple (龍山寺)
1. Lungshan Temple (second-grade national heritage site)
2. Old streets in Manka (
3. Shuehhai Institute (
Manka, also known as the Wanhua district, was where Taipei was initially developed.
Built in 1738, Lungshan Temple, which serves as a social and worship center for local residents, is the city's oldest temple. It was designated a second-grade national heritage site in 1985.
The temple's main doors are opened only during festivals and special rituals.
On the left wing of the courtyard is a bell tower and the other a drum tower. While the bell is rung in the morning, the drum is struck in the evening to remind the devotees to recite their sutras and perform proper ceremonies.
Shuehhai Institute is the city's only surviving private academy built during the Ching Dynasty.
It is currently used as the clan temple of the Kao family. Private academies used to play an important role in education, religious services and community gatherings.
National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館站)
1. National Museum of History (
2. Botanical Garden (
3. National Taiwan Science Education Center (台灣科學教育館)
4. The American Cultural Center (
Built in 1955, the National Museum of History is one of the city's two public museums featuring the collection and exhibition of Chinese culture.
The building used to be a dormitory for postal carriers during the Japanese colonial era.
Next to the museum is the Botanical Garden, where as many as 1,600 kinds of plants can be seen from such places as Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
There are two major buildings within the garden: the 112-year-old Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office (
Not far away from the garden is the National Taiwan Science Education Center.
The American Cultural Center, the auditorium of the Cultural and Information Section of the American Institute in Taiwan, is available free of charge to selected artists for the exhibition of photographs, paintings, sculpture, and other works of original art. The museum is open from 12pm to 6pm and closed on Sundays.
Taipei 228 Peace Park (二二八紀念公園站)
1. Taipei 228 Memorial Museum (
2. National Taiwan Museum (
The Taipei New Park (台北新公園) was renamed Taipei 228 Peace Park in 1996 in commemoration of the Feb. 28, 1947 incident, known as the 228 Incident.
The incident refers to a series of bloody crackdowns on ethnic Taiwanese by KMT troops. Many of Taiwan's most prominent citizens and leading intellectuals were dragged from their homes, some to be killed, while others disappeared without explanation.
Taipei 228 Memorial Museum was originally the home of the Taiwan Broadcasting Bureau, Taiwan's first radio station. Since the station played an important role in the 228 Incident, it was chosen to house the memorial museum.
Completed in 1915, the National Taiwan Museum, Taiwan's oldest museum, was taken over from the Japanese in 1945 and open to the public on April 1, 1946.
The museum was originally situated behind the Presidential Office in a temple built during the Ching Dynasty. It was relocated to its present premises in 1913. The museum features still-life displays and studies of Taiwan's anthropology, zoology, botany and earth science.
Taipei Mayor's Official Residence (市長官邸站)
Built in 1935, the Japanese style Mayor's Official Residence occupies an area of 2,640m2. It has been empty since former mayor Huang Ta-chou (黃大洲) moved out in 1994. The house currently serves as an art and culture center open to city residents.
Ta-An Forest Park (大安森林公園站)
The park is one of the city's popular public venues for outdoor cultural events. Open to the public in 1994, the park is also a rare natural habitat for birds, reportedly 42 different species.
If you are a flower or jade lover, don't forget to visit the nearby floral and jade markets just beneath the Chienkuo South Road overpass between Hsinyi Road and Chinan Road. The markets are open from 9am through 6pm on weekends only.
Huashan Arts District (華山藝文特區站)
Huashan Arts District, located at the intersection of Chunghsiao East Road and Pateh Road, sits on a 7.2 hectare lot that was home to a brewery until 13 years ago. It was rediscovered by several artists who proposed developing it into a multi-functional open space serving art and cultural functions.
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