Taipei Day Three: Rain Forces Alternate Plans

The wind was blowing so hard I had trouble steadying the camera to take this!

This morning there was light rain but we thought we'd press on and head to Yangmingshan (陽明山) or Mount Yangming, an hour's drive from Taipei. It's the closest cluster of mountains near the city and were formerly created by volcanoes about 2 million years ago.

Heavy fog made it impossible to visit Yuanmingshan

Our guide told us that there's still thermal energy below resulting in hot springs for visitors to soak in.

However when we got there, the wind was so intense, blowing the rain combined with heavy fog we couldn't see much and our guide was worried it wasn't safe. Just waiting for our car to turn around and pick us up, my umbrella flew open the other way, while my mom's trousers were pretty soaked.

Inside the tea house on the fourth floor of the museum

So much for Yuanmingshan. We immediately decided to go back to the National Palace Museum and check out a few more things in detail. While there were some tour groups there it wasn't as busy as when we went on Saturday afternoon.

Armed with audio guides we checked out the jade section, where the Chinese considered jade to have strong spiritual powers and we could see its progression from being a useful tool for cutting things and skinning animals, to objects revered in rituals and for decoration.

Our bowl of delicious Taiwanese beef noodle!

The carvings are so impressive, particularly the relief ones -- how did they do that? And cut perfect circles to create the bi discs?

We also saw the exhibition on snuff bottles. I didn't know that the powder inside these small elaborately decorated containers was actually high quality tobacco ground into a powder, fermented and then sealed.

And because the powder was imported from the west by missionaries, the powder didn't do so well in humidity. As a result the containers were designed with a small opening, large body and spoon-stopper.

The entrance to the National Geographic photo exhibition

Then we had lunch in the tea house on the fourth floor of the museum, an airy place with views of the area. The menu is limited but was good. The highlight was the Taiwanese beef noodle, large chunks of meat that were tender with thick wheat noodles in a flavourful broth that came with pickled vegetables and peanuts.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was checking out the photo exhibition put on by National Geographic to celebrate its 125th anniversary. My cousin recently went to Taipei and told me about it so I'm glad I was able to see it (thanks to the weather).

Looking up at Taipei 101...

National Geographic was founded in Washington DC on January 13, 1888. It describes itself as a "unique scientific educational institution" that "has been a media for the dissemination of information". Its second president Alexander Graham Bell and first full-time editor Gilbert H Grosvenor said that "pictures are the language of the magazine", and Bell gave the order to "use pictures and plenty of them".

We saw 150 stunning images from the Society's back issues, many I have not seen before, others looked a bit familiar. There were the first pictures of Tibet in 1916, the first underwater picture in 1927 and the Society sponsoring people like Jacques-Yves Cousteau, newcomer Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.

There was a picture of the discovery of the Titanic by Bob Ballard in 1991 and the first American team to trek up Mount Everest in 1963 with 19 climbers and 32 sherpas.

Looking down from Taipei 101... when the fog cleared a bit

Visitors also got to read the back story about the pictures such as one of a wolf jumping from one small ice floe to another in mid air. The dramatic shot was taken by Jim Brandenburg who has taken pictures of wildlife for 20 years but thinks in that time he has only taken seven good ones!

There's a picture of a lion cub who place its paw around the back of the neck of its mother that looked so human-like, that there were a number of inquiries for a copy of the photo when it was published in 1986.

Another amazing one is of a hummingbird in flight in Panama as it collects nectar from a flower. The picture is so sharp that the viewer can clearly see the detail of the features, lots of colour and each feather had edges of gold.

The massive wind damper on the 88th floor

Steve McCurry's haunting photograph of an Afghan girl in 1984 was actually rejected at first and then a photo editor looked at it again and put it on the cover. A few years ago McCurry managed to find the same girl again, now a grown woman.

Before dinner we checked out Taipei 101, that was for six years the tallest building in the world until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai took over in 2010. Every eight floors is one section and there are eight sections that are meant to create the look of bamboo. There are 101 floors in total and it takes only 37 seconds to get up there.

The building is able to withstand earthquakes thanks to the world's largest wind damper, a massive yellow ball held up by pulleys so that if the building sways one way, the ball and pulleys counteract it in the opposite direction. So the mascot of Taipei 101 is called "Damper Baby"...

Staff hard at work making dumplings at Din Tai Fung

We had to go through a massive strange coral museum and showcases of coral jewellery before we could take the elevator to go down. It took us 45 seconds to get down, mostly due to wind resistance.

Dinner was at Din Tai Fung, conveniently located in the basement. We arrived relatively early after 6pm so we were practically able to walk in as they don't take reservations. We ordered a few items we'd never tried before, including xiaolong bao made with black truffle, another with shrimp and loofah vegetable, and a plate of stir-fried Chinese fiddleheads that were fresh and slightly crunchy.

A plate of Chinese fiddleheads that were tasty and crunchy

To end off the evening we checked out Eslite, the 24-hour bookstore and it was relatively quiet, people wandering around or sitting on the floor reading books and magazines. We are expecting more light rain tomorrow...

Taipei Day Two: Cultural Immersion

Fog prevents us from seeing the view of the ocean from Jiufen

This morning we headed out of Taipei over an hour's drive to Yilan County (宜蘭縣), where many families like to go on the weekends. There isn't too much pollution and the water from the mountains is considered to be very clean and fresh.

The street scene at the National Center for Traditional Arts

To get there we had to go through Asia's second-longest tunnel -- 12.5km -- built during Chen Shui-bian's administration and it helped cut the travel time from two hours to one.

We arrived at the National Center for Traditional Arts, a complex built like a traditional Chinese street where local artisans and performers can have a platform to not only sell their products but also practice some traditional arts.

One of the shops sold small ceramic pipes shaped like ducks, turtles, vases, and so on. The owner gave us a quick demonstration and gave a free instruction book with music for customers to try.

A demonstration on a ceramic duck pipe

Another sold soaps made of natural ingredients, using various scents, such as lavender, green tea, Taiwanese coffee and orchid. The natural soaps are supposed to be non allergenic and good for the skin. So naturally we bought a few bars to try. There are also soaps for washing clothes... but don't we all just throw things into the washing machine these days?

Then a procession came by and it was a group of performers clearing the main path for a character called Liao Tianding (廖添丁) who was a real-life person who lived during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.

People describe him as a Robin Hood figure who robbed from the rich and the Japanese government to give to the poor. Here Liao was dressed in a long traditional Chinese robe wearing a hat and spectacles and sitting by a table with a teapot and cup.

His entrance was the premise to a series of performances on a stage which interestingly began in Japanese, harking back to the occupation period.

The tea house that inspired Spirited Away

After lunch we drove for two hours to Jiufen (九份), a small town in a very mountainous area. It's called Jiufen because in the beginning nine families moved there and when shipments arrived in town, they would ask for jiufen, or "nine portions".

In 1893, gold was discovered there and soon the place was swamped with gold diggers hoping to strike it rich.

The days of finding gold are gone, but the town has been revitalized thanks to director Hou Hsiao-hsien's A City of Sadness in 1989 starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai that talks about the "White Terror" period when the Kuomintang, having arrived from China after its defeat in 1949, rounded up thousands of Taiwanese, sending them to prison or executing them. 

Another film, Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away in 2001 was inspired by Jiufen and in particular a tea house called Ah Mei Cha Lou. As a result many Japanese tourists like to make their pilgrimage to this place. That combined with narrow stairs made it a very crowded area.

Taiwanese crepe filled with shaved peanut and ice cream

Other than the movie references, Jiufen is very popular, particularly on the weekends, where tourists descend on the area as well as Taiwanese who come and stay in the various B&Bs. The narrow streets are filled with small shops selling all kinds of snacks, from stinky tofu both deep fried and braised, fish balls, marinated chicken hearts, and grilled sausages and squid.

We tried some interesting snacks, such as a crepe with a layer of peanut and dark sugar shaved from a block, then two small scoops of ice cream added before it was wrapped up and put in a small plastic bag. The crepe was crunchy, soft and cold at the same time making it a delicious treat but had to be eaten quickly. 

Braised stinky tofu, with the spicy ones on the right

Another traditional dessert is cubes of taro with glutinous rice balls in a sweet green bean soup. It wasn't too sweet, but hard for one person to finish a bowl. This shop was so popular that it has one shop stall for selling the concoction with a seating area behind it and then another shop a few stalls down just for patrons to sit and eat.

One of many stray cats hanging out at Jiufen. Dogs too!

We ended up having dinner in a tea house a bit further down the way that was lit with red lanterns. The meal featured home-style dishes, such as braised fish and braised spicy tofu, a plate of tong choi or morning glory, stir-fried cabbage, chicken and a simple soup of egg white and seaweed. We also had a plate of stir-fried squid.

It's interesting to see how much of an impact the Japanese occupation had on Taiwan. The Taiwanese resented the colonial period but at the same time the Japanese improved the infrastructure of the island. The Japanese influence on cuisine is also prevalent, with dishes on the whole being light, and pickled vegetables are common. 

The night scene overlooking Jiufen

Meanwhile the Japanese love Taiwanese rice which is similar to Japanese rice, short and round unlike the narrow Thai jasmine rice. The Taiwanese are also very proud of their agricultural industry, constantly improving the quality of its rice, fruits and vegetables. Perhaps it has to do with its food security, making Taiwan self sufficient. But in the process it has created a food industry where there are a number of tourists (like those from Hong Kong) who just come to eat, eat, eat.

Eating Shabu Shabu in Taipei

Interior of Bellavita that is home to many luxury fashion brands and restaurants

It's only our first day in Taipei and we are eating very well here!

Not only did we dine at Silks Palace at the National Palace Museum, but also at a Japanese shabu shabu place in an upscale shopping mall called Bellavita.

The sleek table setting at Shabu complete with induction heat

It describes itself as "one of the most fantastic bespoke Luxury (sic) mall in Taipei, Taiwan". 

The developer apparently bought the land over 20 years ago and at the time it was very expensive. And then the story goes that his daughter wanted to open a coffee shop and it sprouted into this luxury mall...

Joel Robuchon has a restaurant there, and Van Cleef & Arpels have set up shop there too. On the fourth floor is Shabu and it's a sleek modern restaurant where guests sit in semi private booths. The hot pot is heated by induction while the fresh ingredients are artfully placed on the plate, particularly the vegetables like a bouquet.

The beautifully presented plate of vegetables

We got to choose a starter, such as uni, tomato or smoked duck salad, and then we launched into cooking our dinner. The beef was sliced a bit thicker than most places and highly marbled, while it was interesting to add items like pumpkin, snow fungus and cubes of taro in the broth.

At the end we didn't drink the broth but a bowl of rice was added instead to make congee. It simmered in there for a while as we digested the meal and when it was almost done, the waiter added a beaten egg, scallions and thin strips of seaweed. It was delicious.

A delicious bowl of congee made from the soup broth

Then for dessert a fruit platter of pear and honeydew along with almond custard presented in a small cute glass bottle.

Shabu

A refreshing dessert of almond custard in a bottle

4/F, Bellavita

No. 28-4, Songren Road

Xinyi District, Taipei
02 2723 9222

www.hostshabu.com.tw

Taipei Day One: Past and Present

Dramatic clouds gathering over the National Palace Museum at sunset

The last time I was in Taipei was in the early 90s when the government sponsored young overseas Chinese from North America to go to Taiwan to experience Chinese culture in the hopes they would come back later and work and/or invest in the country.

The entrance to the museum, home to 650,000 treasures

We were given VIP treatment with police escorts wherever we visited, taught "bo po mo fo", the special symbols Taiwanese use to verbally spell out characters and inducted into the world of karaoke.

I still remember going to the National Palace Museum and being annoyed that no one showed any particular attention to the fantastic treasures from the Forbidden City that Chiang Kai-shek had carefully whisked away from the communists.

These trips were nicknamed "The Love Boat" because it was the perfect platform for teenagers to hook up with members of the opposite sex and sneak out of the dorms at night to go drinking and clubbing.

However after several incidents involving inebriated students, the government decided to close down the program, but also probably they weren't getting their return on investment...

A computer scans you to create a vase design

Other than that I don't remember much about Taipei except for hanging out with my Taiwanese cousins on the weekends.

So some 20 years later it's interesting to return and see how things have changed.

While the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport looks impressive with its slanted roof and granite floors in the immigration area, the baggage area is quite small.

The drive into the city is a nice sight, as it's quite hilly, but completely covered in trees with verdant leaves. They are not planted there like those that line the highway in Beijing, but have been there naturally for who knows how long.

We passed by The Grand Hotel, which I stayed in on my first trip to Taiwan when I was a kid. My second reference to it was watching Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman, where the main character is the top chef in the hotel. My mouth still waters whenever I think of the opening scene...

Our tour guide told us that Chiang and his wife Soong Mei-ling loved to stay in The Grand Hotel not only for its panoramic views of the city, but also because its location had very good feng shui. She also told us there were secret tunnels that were for Chiang to escape in case of danger. She said the tunnels end up at the river, but Wikipedia says they end at nearby parks and can accommodate up to 10,000 people.

Animated portraits of people. Can you spot me in the picture?

Soon after we arrived at the National Palace Museum. Apparently it's crowded with Japanese and mainland tourists on the weekends, but it's hardly anything like elbowing your way through Sogo in Causeway Bay. There were lots of people, but line ups went fast.

There are 650,000 items in the museum. The Taiwanese are very proud of Chiang for protecting the imperial treasures and perhaps he thought that by bringing these priceless items that represented power from the Forbidden City, it would give him the moral authority to rule China.

To save time our guide took us to see the prized possessions of the museum: the bai cai or jadeite cabbage. It's not the highest quality jade, the guide says, but the carver has done an excellent job with it.

The famous jadeite bai cai with two katydids

It was meant to be a dowry for the emperor's consort and the whiteness of the jade represents the consort's purity, while the two katydids, one small and one large symbolizing the imperial couple, mean that they love each other profoundly for eternity.

Next to it is a piece of natural rock that looks like dong po rou, or a piece of braised pork belly. Only the top was manipulated with an artisan's hand to make it look like pork skin.

I remembered seeing these pieces and feeling so impressed by them, but seeing them again I was surprised I was blinded by my memories. I remembered the dong po rou glistening and a large piece, but in reality it was a small triangular "slice" and the colours were such that it looked like it was going mouldy! The cabbage just wasn't as appealing as I thought it was many years ago.

A slice of braised pork belly from natural stone

Nevertheless we were still amazed by the intricate carvings on ivory, rhinoceros horn, even walnut shells. No one knows how the artisans carved 17 layers within one ivory ball and the magnifying glasses revealed amazing artistry, thanks to the patronage of the Emperor Qianlong.

We also saw a large bronze cauldron called Mao Gong Ding. In it there are 500 Chinese characters carved, where King Xuan declares his need to depend on the Duke of Mao to help him bring stability in the late Zhou period.

What was also neat about the museum was an interactive multimedia area. People who were depicted in paintings came to life in animation, greeting us in various languages. In one area there was a large white vase. Each person stands on a special platform and moves the arms and body while the computer scans them and creates a new design on the vase. Another took a picture of us and made us into an animated character in what looked like a computer game.

A culinary interpretation of the jadeite bai cai at Silks Palace

Next to the museum is a restaurant called Silks Palace run by The Regent hotel. It's a beautiful setting inside with lots of dark wood that looks traditional but simultaneously modern too. We had a private room where we ate a set lunch of braised shredded sea cucumber with fish maw soup, stir-fried pork ribs, Cantonese dim sum and stir-fried shrimp balls with sea whelk.

One of the highlights was the jadeite cabbage with dried shrimps and was presented much like the one in the museum. To eat it we had to place the cabbage on the plate, pour the conpoy sauce on top of it and then eat it with a fork and knife. An artistic treat.