Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Four Days
Follow the itinerary above and then plan for a full day in historic
Tamsui
with its
temples, forts and colonial neighbourhoods. Begin with a stroll through the man-
grove forests at
Hongshulin
.
The next morning hike through
Yangmingshan National Park
, have lunch at
Grass Mountain Chateau
and then catch a quick bus down to Beitou's
Taiwan
Folk Arts Museum
. From here wander down past hot springs, temples and mu-
seums. Head back to Taipei for snacking at
Ningxia Night Market
.
Red House
CULTURAL CENTRE
(Hónglóu;
www.redhouse.org.tw
; 10 Chengdu Rd; admission free, except during events;
11.30am-9.30pm; Ximen)
Ximending's most iconic building was built in 1908 to serve
as Taipei's first public market. These days it's a multifunctional cultural centre with regu-
lar live performances and exhibitions. There's an artist and designer weekend market in
the north square (2pm to 9.30pm Saturday and Sunday) and 16 studios selling the works
of local designers (2pm to 9.30pm Tuesday to Sunday) behind the main entrance.
In the Japanese era, the Red House came to symbolise the bustling commercialism of
the Ximending district. Post-WWII it was an opera house, performance theatre, movie
theatre and, finally, derelict building. These days it's once again the centrepiece of the
district. Riverside Live House (
Click here
)
is at the back of the complex, and in the south
court are a dozen or so restaurants and bars, many catering to the city's gay crowd.
Qingshan Temple
DAOIST TEMPLE
(Qīngshān Gōng; Guiyang St; 5.30am-9pm; Longshan)
Along with Longshan and
Qingshui, this elegant temple is one of Wanhua's top houses of worship. First built in
1856, there is an abundance of top-quality wood, stone and decorative artwork to see
here and the
god's birthday festival
is one of Taipei liveliest religious events.
Qingshan's resident god (Qingshan Wang,) is credited with saving the people of Wan-
hua from a deadly plague. During the days of his birthday celebrations he sets out on a
pilgrimage to expel evil from the neighbourhood. There are fireworks, gongs, lanterns
and a colourful parade of people dressed up as gods, giant Infernal Generals, and other
Taoist and folk figures. What makes this pilgrimage particularly dramatic and worth at-
tending is that it takes place at night. Called the
Night Patrol
(Yèjiān Chūxún), the
