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01 Oct 2011
Taipei has led Taiwan’s remarkable change over the last two decades. MATTHEW JONES explores the city’s ongoing metamorphosis in the regions of Xinyi, Danshui and Maokong, and discovers there’s more to Taiwan’s capital than meets the eye.
Taipei, once considered a transit point between the East and West, and best known for its quaint night markets and boxy architecture, has reinvented itself into a world-class capital. Two decades of investment and renewal have opened up underdeveloped areas such as Danshui and Maokong, and revitalised ailing traditional industries including fishing and tea growing.
Xinyi
Perhaps nowhere is Taipei’s amazing metamorphosis more evident than in Xinyi. Here, gleaming corporate offices, glitzy shopping malls and some of the city’s best restaurants occupy land that was virtually featureless just 25 years ago. “I first came to Taiwan in 1985 and lived on the fringe of Xinyi. Back then the only structure there was the Taipei World Trade Center,” says American Mark Wolfe, who spent many years in Taipei.
Today, man has overshadowed nature in the form of Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings. The massive structure tops out at just over half a kilometre and weighs a staggering 700,000 tons. Keeping such a tall structure from rocking in the wind is a sophisticated damper system, the showcase being a massive steel ball suspended as a pendulum between the 88th and 92nd floors.
Occupying the lower floors of Taipei 101 are an enormous mall, renowned for its high-end retail stores, diverse eateries and a cavernous Page One bookstore. Lovers of Chinese cuisine shouldn’t miss the delectable xiao long bao (steamed dumplings) at Din Tai Fung. For traditional Taiwanese cuisine and a staggering panorama, head to Shinyeh 101 on the 85th floor. Or grab a quick bite at the expansive basement food court, which serves up dishes from every corner of the world.
A short walk from Taipei 101 is Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi New Life Square, a multi-building Japanese-style department store. While well-heeled shoppers indulge themselves indoors, those outside can take in quirky street performances like the human sculptures – youngsters in exotic outfits who strike frozen poses in the name of art.
Nearby, Elephant Mountain offers cool mountain air and breathtaking vistas, not to mention the best views of Taipei. And the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall offers an ideal counterpoint to ultra-modern Xinyi. Catch it during the Lantern Festival, which typically falls in late January or early February to mark the end of Chinese New Year, when the grounds are filled with glowing lanterns of all colours and shapes.
Danshui
An equally amazing transformation has taken place at the other end of Taipei in what was once the sleepy seaside town of Danshui. A once-polluted and neglected waterway, Danshui River has been given a new lease of life thanks to a massive clean-up effort in the 1990s.
For centuries the most significant shipping port in northern Taiwan, Danshui's importance began to wane as silt slowly made the estuary impassable to sailing ships. Colonial powers – from the Spanish and Dutch to the Japanese, who occupied Taiwan until the final days of World War II – have all left their mark. A number of fine period buildings still stand today, such as Fort San Domingo, built by the Spanish in 1629 and the Danshui Customs Officer’s Residence that was constructed in 1869.
The area where ships once berthed is now a thriving waterfront of family-owned bars and restaurants serving up Chinese and Western food. Along Old Street, shops purvey a range of traditional items, from wooden spinning tops to iron eggs, which are dried eggs steeped in tea and spices. The age-old storefronts stand in stark contrast to nearby Fisherman’s Wharf, a recent redevelopment that has brought dozens of new casual-dining seafood restaurants to the area. Here, diners can enjoy steamed crab, deep-fried fish and squid-on-a-stick, all freshly caught just hours earlier.
Shaped like a ship, the brand new five-star Fullon Hotel in Danshui Fishermen’s Wharf completes Danshui’s modernisation, bringing international-standard accommodation to the area. It boasts 198 guest rooms, a 100m-tall observation tower and an adjoining shopping mall.
Those hoping to get away from the crowds can head across the river to Bali District. Bali Left Bank is a protected nature reserve with a number of species of wading birds. A cycle path runs the length of the waterfront and there are hiking trails and wooden boardwalks for strollers. Bicycles, tandems and even pedal-powered four-wheelers can be rented for as little as NT$100 (US$3) a day.
