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TOURISM

General "attractions" are available below. More information can be found in the following websites.

You are more than welcome to stay for few more days, and explore the country before or after the meeting.

Lonely Planet

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei
Remark: Taiwan is ranked #9 on "Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel: top 10 countries for 2012". See here for more details.

Dining guides

A hungry girl’s guide to taipei:
http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com
CNN: 40 Taiwanese foods we can’t live without [Link]
Taipei dinning guide (Chinese only):
http://www.diningguide.com.tw/in/front/bin/home.phtml

More information (local travel agent contacts) will be provided soon.

Attractions: Food

Chinese cuisine goes back to ancient times and achieve its present level of excellence through the accumulation of thousands of years of practical knowledge and experience in cookery. Emphasis is placed on the perfect combination of color, aroma, flavor, and appearance, through which the most common ingredients are transformed into culinary tours de force. In Taiwan, cooking techniques from all areas of China have fused; the Taiwanese have not only mastered the traditional local Chinese specialties, but have also used traditional techniques to develop new culinary treats. These features attract many tourists to Taiwan every year to savor these Chinese specialties, ranging from small steamed buns to boiled dumplings.

Next to these Chinese delicacies, the enormous variety of typical Taiwanese snacks is unique in the world and most snacks perfectly illustrate the important place that the food culture takes in the lives of the Taiwanese people. Famous and unique Taiwanese snacks include Bubble milk tea, oyster omelets, fried rice noodles, tempura, Tainan Danzai noodles, Taiwanese spring rolls, rice tube pudding, and braised pork rice. This food is cheap and delicious, and by no means inferior, with each specialty giving you an insight in the people of the area from which it originates.

Typical Taiwanese snacks are found everywhere, but the night markets in particular, are the places where these snacks can be found in abundance. Trying out these snacks, tourists will be able to learn about different specialties, cultures, and people from different areas, and gain a whole new perspective on traveling.

Attractions: Culture & Heritage

During Taiwan’s history, prehistoric people, indigenous tribes, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, and Han Chinese have successively populated Taiwan, creating a varied culture and developing different local customs and traditions along the way. When visiting Taiwan, you will be able to come in touch with all aspects of this beautiful country’s multifaceted cultures. Because of its unique historical and geographical background, Taiwan has a rich and varied culture composed of elements taken from many different ethnic groups, including the indigenous peoples. And not only that; the people who previously inhabited Taiwan also left many cultural remnants that can still be found around the island today, including traditional architecture, relics of prehistoric civilizations, folk art, and traditions. The National Palace Museum is a world-class museum that hosts an eclectic collection of treasures kept by generations of Emperors ruling from the Forbidden City. In WWII, Nationalist troops seized the most important pieces in order to prevent invaders from ransacking China’s national treasures. A twist of fate eventually brought these treasures to Taiwan.

The Palace Museum is designed in the style of a Northern Chinese palace. The museum is home to hundreds of thousands of historical relics that make up the world’s most comprehensive and precious collection of ancient Chinese artifacts. The entire collection covers 5,000 years of China’s historical and artistic achievements.

The Longshan Temple houses hundred of statues of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian deities. This is one of the oldest temples in Taipei City, it was built in 1738 by the first Chinese settlers. The temple mixes traditional Chinese siheyuan ("four-building courtyard") with palace architecture in its design. The temple is divided into front hall, main hall, rear hall, right wing and left wing. Painting of vivid creatures grace the temple walls, and stone statues of mystical creatures guard the temple grounds. The joining of wall and roof did not use any nails or braces made of metal. Covered by overtapping tiles, the temple roof is decorated with figures of dragon, phoenix and other auspicious creatures. The figures are decorated with porcelain, clay, and shards of colored glass. They represent the pinnacle of mosaic art in Taiwan. The temple has been declared a Secondary National Heritage Site.

Attractions: Hot Spring

Hot springs, the hot tears of the earth, are one of the most precious gifts that the earth has given to us. Ever since the ancient times, people have recognized the rejuvenating and therapeutic properties of these natural resources. Taiwan is ranked among the world top 15 hot spring sites, harboring a great variety of springs, including hot springs, cold springs, mud springs, and seabed hot springs. The island can proudly regard itself as one of the regions with the highest concentration and greatest variety of hot springs in the world.

Hot springs are formed by natural waters that emerge from the bowels of the earth and that possess therapeutic properties said to have a positive effect on disorders of the nervous and digestive systems, the circulation, and the organs. People have used hot springs to keep in good health for ages. In Taiwan, with its peculiar crustal structure and location on the fault line where the Euro-Asian and Philippine continental plates meet in the Circum-Pacific seismic zone, subterranean heat is spread across the island producing hot springs island-wide.

Even within Taipei city, Beitou hot spring has been famous since Japanese colonial times. And it can be reached with the Taipei metro system within a 30 mins ride. The area is also around with historic monuments and natural scenic spots. Beitou Museum, Yinsong Building, Xingnai Spring, Beitou Library, Beitou Hot Spring Park, and the Folk Museum connect into a hot spring route. A must visit place in Taipei.

Attractions: Ecotourism

If you want to know how beautiful Taiwan really is, you have to come and see for yourself. You will be amazed at the diversity of ancient species this beautiful and relatively young island has to offer. Come and explore its numerous mountains, forests, wetlands and oceans, and find an incredible collection of natural ecosystems.

Taiwan lies off the southeast coast of the Asian Continent, where the tropical and subtropical zones come together. Surrounded by the sea and dominated by high mountains created by tectonic action over the eons, the country features a full range of climates and terrains from the tropical to the frigid. The variations in weather, geology, and elevation give Taiwan an unparalleled richness of flora and fauna, including many endemic species that are found nowhere else in the world. Taiwan is, in fact, a northern-hemisphere microcosm and natural treasure house that, truly, must be seen to be believed.

Yangmingshan national park is the one located closest to a metropolitan Taipei. Yangmingshan features a widely varying terrain, diverse ecology, and is home to numerous protected species. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of one of Taiwan’s endemic bird species—the Formosan Blue Magpie. The park is full of plum, cherry, peach and pear trees, rhododendrons, etc. In spring, the cherry blossoms never fail to draw crowds.

Perhaps one of the most distinctive features in the park is the “Flower Clock,” composed of a variety of colorful seasonal flowers. When visiting Yangmingshan, be sure to take a photo to prove you’ve seen this famous landmark! Also worth checking are popular sights like the Hsiao-you-keng (“Small Oil Pit”), Ching-tien-kang (Qing-tian Hill) Leng-shui-keng (“Cold Water Pit”), and Yangming Archive House. If you enjoy an invigorating hike, these will be right up your alley!

Attractions: Shopping

The capital Taipei contains some of the best shopping places anywhere, satisfying the shopping habits of all consumer groups.

The Xinyi District is the newest trend-setting commercial district in Taipei, embracing dozens of fashionable malls, restaurants, and hotels on Sections 4 and 5 of Xinyi Road. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store New Life Square and A4 branches, Novel Hall for Performing Arts, VieShow Cinemas, Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel, and Taipei 101 are just a few of the many places where you can satisfy your consumer cravings in this area.

On weekends, the Xinyi District transforms again as outdoor stages and squares come alive with concerts, dance performances, record release events, and celebrity appearances, making this the place where you can experience the youthful energy of Taipei.

The area around the intersection of Zhongxiao East and Dunhua South roads has become a major shopping area in Taipei east district, thanks to its convenient location. High-end boutiques are packed along Dunhua South Road between Xinyi and Zhongxiao East roads, presenting a tempting array of brand-name clothes, jewelry, shoes, and leather items. The section between the SOGO Department store and the Taipei Metro Mall is an especially good place for the fashionably acquisitive, with Cartier, Louis Vuitton, DKNY and other top brand boutiques to choose from.