Historic Sites

1. Historic Sites For more information: Please contact Peter Email: topology.peter@gmail.com +886 933 238 434wwww.TopologyTravel.com

3. Confucius Temple The Taipei Confucius Temple is modeled after the original Confucius Temple in Qufu, China. Visitors also won't find the spring couplets common at other types of temples. Some say this is because it would be rude to display the writing of another in a temple dedicated to the Sage. At the main hall of the temple one can see a black plaque with gold lettering that reads "Educate without Discrimination."

5. Xiaonanmen The Taipei City Wall was one of the last city walls to be built during the Qing period. Though only the gates survive, the original fortifications were extremely strong, with walls four meters thick five meters high and extending a total of four kilometers. Most Chinese walls have four gates, but the Taipei wall had five. Some say that the fifth gate—Xiaonanmen (Little South Gate)—was built especially for the convenience of the family of local tycoon Lin Pen-yuan in Banqiao, though this has never been proved.

7. Zhongshan Hall Zhongshan Hall was built in 1928, during Japanese colonial era, to commemorate the accession of Emperor Hirohito. Known at that time as the Taipei Assembly Hall, the building was faced in light green tile to make it less visible to aerial bombers. With its 1,500 person seating capacity, the hall served as an important activity center during the Japanese colonial era.

9. Presidential Office Building The Presidential Office Building originally served as the seat of the colonial government during the Japanese occupation period. At the time of its completion in 1919, it was the tallest building in Taiwan. The building later served as the joint location of the Executive Yuan and Presidential Office before becoming the Presidential Office Building.

11. The Red House The two-story high red brick building is shaped into an octagonal cylinder. Each side of the octagon has a dormer window and a decorative wall. During the Japanese colonial era, the Red House was turned into a venue for Peking opera and crosstalk performances in the early 20th century. The place became a movie theater in the 1970s', ushering in the beginning of Ximenting's cinema culture. Now the Red House is both a teahouse and a venue for small-scale theater productions.

13. Former Official Residence of Chiang Kai-shek and Madam Chiang in Shilin The former official residence of Chiang Kai-shek and Madam Chiang maintains a quiet and attractive garden. The garden is full of plums, chrysanthemums and roses favored by the Chiang couple. Flowers bloom according to season and make for a stunning view throughout much of the year.

15. Taipei Story House Next to the Taipei Fine Art Museum, the attractive Taipei Story House was built in 1913 by Dadaocheng tea merchant Mr. Chen Chaojun.  Originally a guest house for rich merchants and local influentials, the Story House now hosts tea or Taipei history-related exhibitions.

17. The Lin Yutang House One of Mr. Lin Yutang’s most famous lines is “Like a woman’s skirt, the shorter the speech, the better.” He made this jest decades ago. Mr. Lin did not only translate the word “humor” into Chinese, but also promoted literature of humor. Famous for being a modern Chinese scholar writing in English, Mr. Lin was a linguist, philosopher, man of letters, traveler and creator.

19. the historic Bopiliao area Visitors can learn more about the history of the area at the Heritage and Culture Education Center. The center has different theme displays and hosts special exhibits on Bopiliao as well as educational activities.