Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Dàān Gōngyuán; Da'an Park)
This is Taipei's central park, where the city comes to play.
And play it does, from kids rollerblading and playing tag to teens playing basketball and
ultimate Frisbee to old men engaged in
xiàngqí
(Chinese chess). The park is a great place
to hang out after a meal on nearby Yongkang St.
In the early mornings, you'll see folks practising taichi, and in the evenings, ballroom
dancing. On big holidays, especially Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, the
amphitheatre hosts free stage shows featuring some of the biggest names in Taiwanese
entertainment.
Museum of Drinking Water
MUSEUM, WATER PARK
(Zìláishuǐ Yuán Qū;
http://waterpark.twd.gov.tw/english/index_e.htm
; adult/child NT$80/50;
9am-6pm Sep-Jun, to 8pm Jul-Aug; Gongguan)
Located within a water park (open in sum-
mer only), this museum covers the history of water treatment in Taipei and is set in a
rather beautiful former pump station built in baroque style in 1908.
Treasure Hill
VILLAGE
(Bǎozàng Yán; Gongguan)
Head down to the river from the Museum of Drinking Water,
turn left and you'll soon come across this ramshackle village founded in the late 1940s
by soldiers who fled to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek.
While praised for its 'living memories' and off-the-grid community lifestyle (villagers
'borrowed' electricity, set up organic farms by the river, built homes out of discarded ma-
terials and recycled grey water), the village underwent a makeover in 2010 and is now
largely an artist village. Still, it's a very photogenic place, very dreamy to explore at
night, and architects, activists and anarchists are likely to find it fascinating.
Taipei City Hakka Cultural Theme Park
PARK
(Kèjiā Wénhuà Zhǔtí Gōngyuán; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun; Taipower Building)
This
4-hectare park is richly informative of the Hakka (descendants of immigrants from Guan-
dong province) across Taiwan, though largely in the form of video and posters. The best
time to visit is during a traditional event, such as the
Yimin Festival
(18th to 20th of the
seventh lunar month).
The park connects via a very cool bike bridge to the riverside. If you are coming from
Treasure Hill, head north until you see the bridge going over the dike walls.
Chunghwa Postal Museum
MUSEUM
