【Sun Moon Lake】

Nestled at 760 meters, this lake is famous for its clear, sparkling blue water set against a picturesque mountain backdrop. This is the largest lake in Taiwan and a traditional spot for newlywed couples to take their honeymoon. It has also been a center of aboriginal life for thousands of years, with aboriginal people involved in its tourist industry since the 1930s.

【Calligraphy Greenway】

Calligraphy Greenway comes in 3.6 kilometers, ranging north from National Museum of Natural Science to National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in the south. It’s an urban space structure shaped in a kind of long and wide stripe. Along the stripped space, National Museum of Natural Science, Civil Square, Park Lane by CMP, gallery space, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and food court are gathered here to offer a variety of merry events, activities, etc., upbeat spirits, fun in all forms. That’s why this urban space is named Calligraphy Greenway owing to that the atmosphere, tempo, and movement of those events within it are free, flexible that’s just like the cursive writing of Chinese calligraphy.

【Taomi Village】

Taomi Village is a rural village situated in Puli Township, Nantou County, Taiwan along the route to Sun Moon Lake. Before 1999, the agricultural village was facing decline due to Taiwan’s rapid industrialization. During the Taiwan 921 earthquake, 70% of the small village was destroyed – 168 out of the 369 houses were completely destroyed, and 60 were partially destroyed. Instead of being absorbed in sorrow, the village turned crisis into an opportunity to not only re-construct, but also to re-brand the village. 10 years on, Taomi village pride itself as an eco-village, with Paper Dome as the centerpiece. The Paper Dome originated in Japan, and is the embodiment of the love and mutual assistance between Taiwan and Japan community reconstruction experience sharing in addition to being the heart of Taomi Village.

【Bay of Two Colors】

Located beside the northern coastal road in the Gold Ecological Park region is Yin Yang Sea, a curiously colored patch of water. The complementary blue and yellow coloring of this bay brings to mind the ancient Chinese principle of yin and yang, the natural concept of duality. Just as with the dichotomy of light and dark, or cold and hot, Yin Yang Sea expresses a natural balance of two sides of a mutual whole. This awe-inspiring scene provides a perfect opportunity to pause and contemplate what other contrary forces in nature are actually interconnected concepts. Remove assumptions, take a step back, and open your mind to the beauty of nature.

【Golden Waterfall】

In early times, due to copper mining activities at the upper stream of the river, rainwater seeped into the mineshafts and came into contact with iron pyrite and enargite ore. Through oxidation and catalytic reaction of iron bacteria, highly acidic water was formed and then emerged to form the astonishing scenery of the Golden Waterfall. The yellow-brown Yin-yang Sea is a natural phenomenon resulting from the acidic water of the Golden Waterfall and the Liangdong River.

【Jiufen】

Founded during the Qing Dynasty, this small town was a relatively isolated village until the discovery of gold during the Japanese occupation in 1893, quickly developing the town due to a gold rush. Many buildings in the town remain unchanged to this day, reflecting the Japanese influence on both architecture and culture on the island. During World War II, the town housed a Japanese prisoner of war camp where captured Allied Force soldiers (mainly British) were forced to work in the gold mines. After the war, gold mining activities declined, and the town today exists mainly as a tourist destination remembering and celebrating Taiwanese history and culture.

【Shifen】

Set by Shifen Railway Station, Shifen Old Street is filled mainly by sky lantern and souvenir shops, grocery stores and restaurants on both sides of the railway. One may notice that Shifen Railway Station is larger than other stations along Pingxi Line as it has dual tracks that allow trains to intersect here. Although Shifen Old Street is now a popular tourist stop, the old street still keeps its nostalgic, relaxing ambience, where one may sometimes find residents sit in front of their houses, chatting and socializing. Shifen Old Street is not only a great place for photographs, sky lanterns and to see the unique scene of trains running right through the old street, but also a nice place to sample local snacks that will satiate your taste buds.

【Presidential Office Building】

This renaissance-style building has been the highest seat of government in Taiwan for over a century, first as the office of the governor general’s office during the Japanese colonial period, and after 1949 as Taiwan’s “White House."

National festivals are hosted here. The Presidential Building was built during Japanese colonization period, it was the governor’s mansion at that time. During the ending period of World War II, the building was seriously damaged due to bombing. After Taiwan was reclaimed by R.O.C., the building was re-constructed in 1946. The building was re-named as “Jieshou Building" in celebration of the 60th birthday of former president Mr. Chiang Kai-shek. The building has been used as the presidential mansion after the central government of R.O.C. was re-instated in Taiwan.

【CKS Memorial Hall】

This memorial hall is home to several classical Chinese buildings, including the stately memorial itself as well as the National Concert Hall and National Theater. Another highlight is the hourly honor guard display. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is located in the heart of Taipei City. The area is 250,000 square meters and it is the attraction most visited by foreign tourists. Outside the gate of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, there are poles carrying the sign of true rightness. The architecture of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is inspired by Tientam in Beijing. The four sides of the structure are similar to those of the pyramids in Egypt. The material is white marble. The roofs are decorated with deep-blue glass as part of the reflection of blue sky and bright sun, it adds a touch of grandeur. As a whole, the colors of blue, white and red express the National Flag and the spirit of freedom, equality and brotherhood.

【Taipei 101】

Taipei 101 is an engineering marvel and the first building of its kind in the world. Spanning 101 stories above the ground at 508 meters, the building was designed as a symbol of technology’s evolution fused with Asian tradition. The building features many pan-Chinese and Asian elements that mixed with a post-modern style, and it was designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes common in Taiwan.

The area around Taipei 101 is rapidly developing as Taipei’s premier shopping and entertainment district. Every New Years, Taipei 101 is host to a spectacular fireworks display that draws people from all over Taiwan and other neighboring countries like Japan and Singapore to the area.

【National Palace Museum】

The National Palace Museum building in Taipei was constructed from March 1964 and was completed in August 1965. The Palace Museum holds an enormous treasure inherited from the previous Sung, Yüan, Ming and Ching dynasties. The museum is house of over 700,000 pieces of ceramics, bronzes, paintings, jades and more. The collection is far too large to be all displayed at once. While many popular pieces are displayed permanently, much of the collection of jade, porcelain, paintings and bronzes is rotated regularly. Most of the pieces hosted in this museum belonged to the Chinese imperial collection, which began over a thousand years ago.

The Three Treasures: