TAIWAN: Views of Taipei

National Palace Museum in Taipei

This museum has the world’s largest collection of Chinese art, more than the museums in mainland China. I went into the rare books sections and was amazed. Even though I don’t read Chinese, I was impressed by the quality of the ancient texts.

The jade section was a mind opener as well. I learned about the different types of jade in India and Turkey.

I only had 1.5 hours for the museum and one could easily spend more than a day to see the collections.

Memorial to Chiang Kai Shek, Taipei

The memorial to Chiang Kai Shek (He was the leader of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) and fought Chairman Mao’s Communist forces. When his army lost in 1949 and China turned Communist, Chiang Kai Shek, his army, and over one million Chinese fled to the island of Formosa (currently named Taiwan). He then became the leader of Taiwan for many years.

The memorial to him was HUGE! It reminded me of Communist memorials and then I realized the irony of my thought. Chiang Kai Shek was fighting the Communists in China:) When I told this to one of my fellow travelers, she quickly told me that the memorial to Chairman Mao is bigger. I will soon find out if that is true as I am headed to Beijing tomorrow.

The Old Man Under the Moon Temple, Taipei
“Pray for Love”
I visited this temple on a Sunday afternoon and burned some incense at the temple of the God of Matchmaking! I wasn’t the only one looking for love. Teenage, adult and even senior citizens were asking for help to find love. If I am successful, maybe I will come back to Taipei and say thank you!