Taipei in a Day

This weekend, Ryan left for Nebraska to begin teaching again at his school. I joined him and Cana to tour Taipei all day Saturday before his flight on Sunday.

We left Chiayi on Friday afternoon on the high speed rail. Chiayi is located in the southern portion of the island, while Taipei is in the north. We were able to make the trip in under an hour, where a bus ride would take over three. We were zooming across the country just as the sun was setting, which made the trip beautiful. I have been surprised by how much Taiwan is like Korea. Apart from the tropical plants, Taiwan has a similar set of infrastructure and transportation. I suppose it has to do with the fact that they are both smaller countries with incredibly large economies in respect to their size.

We arrived in Taipei Friday night and walked around one of the night markets close to our hostel. The area we were staying was a popular area for young people, so there were a lot of college students and foreigners mingling about.

We were determined to see as much of Taipei as humanly possible on Saturday, so we woke up bright and early. We first took the subway to Taipei 101. Taipei 101 is the second tallest building currently in the world. I find both its height and design breathtaking. It is designed to appear like a bamboo stalk with some traditional architecture references. It is beautiful to see the old (bamboo, pagoda design) meet the new (a tower dominating the city skyline). We viewed the city from the top of the 101, which was quite a decent view even with the haze looming over the nearby mountains.

After visiting the 101, we went to the National Palace Museum. This museum holds the largest collection of Chinese history and art in the world. It was built after the ROC government fled to Taiwan, taking with them the majority of China's greatest historical artifacts. When Mao took power and established the DPRK, he wanted to eliminate any indication of the past, which included these artifacts. The ROC took them to Taiwan to preserve this aspect of China's history. Today, Taiwan and China are in an interesting situation. China would like to have these pieces back. However, it was the government that exists today in China technically speaking that desired to destroy them. At the same time, these pieces are not significant in Taiwan's history, but the history of China, a country that they proudly state that they are independent from. In the meantime, this museum provides the greatest window into China outside of China itself. I especially enjoyed the ancient calligraphy and artwork portion of this massive museum.

After the museum, we went to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Park. This park located downtown is home to the performance hall of Taipei as well as a mausoleum honoring the late president. Chiang Kai Shek is quite an interesting figure in history. He succeeded Sun Yat-sen as president of the ROC. Under his presidency, he witnessed his nation torn in a civil war and he led the exiled ROC to Taiwan. From what I have seen in a week of visiting Taiwan, he both revered and criticized for his actions. I hope in the next few weeks I will be able to learn more about him from the Taiwanese people and see from them who Chiang Kai Shek really was as a president.

We finished our day taking a gondola ride through the nearby mountains to view the city at night. We rode the gondola just as the sun was setting and arrived at the viewing area as the lights in the city were coming on. We ate some dinner while listening to the bustle of the city. It was bittersweet after a week of working together to wish Ryan off to home in the States. It was nice to reminisce about the week together before sending him on his way and preparing for the week ahead.

Sunday morning before returning to Chiayi, Cana and I attended Taipei International Christian Church for Sunday service. This church is located right downtown Taipei and represents a variety of denominations. I think one of the most beautiful things in the world is a group of Christians that vary in culture and denominations coming together to worship. The church was about half Taiwanese and half foreigner. The service included traditional as well as contemporary aspects to the service. I though it was a great mesh of both old and new, it really displayed the heritage and the different ways we can praise our God. I think the Christian Church spends way too much time and energy arguing about our differences instead of focusing on the one aspect of our faith that is the defining piece: Faith in Jesus Christ. Attending an international church like the one in Taipei displays for me that Christians may have their differences, but we can come together and unite in our love for our Savior. I pray that the Holy Spirit will unite the Christian church as one body.