Five days in Taipei

Working for a global company has its merits. Over the years, as my executive roles became increasingly offshore-focused, I was privileged to visit an ever-growing list of countries and territories. My time in Taiwan was one such experience.

I spent four nights in Taipei in 2004. At the time I was visiting our new Taiwanese licensed partner. After several days in Hong Kong, I flew to Taiwan with Cathay Pacific on Saturday 29 May. My flight landed shortly after 2:00pm. As expected, our licensed partner pulled out all the stops to impress me. A town car collected me from the airport and sped me into the central city where I checked into the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

The hotel was totally over the top. It was considered Taipei’s first truly international luxury hotel after it opened in 1990. Over the years I’ve learned that Asian business partners will always err on the side of caution when managing your itinerary. As a result, I’ve stayed in some lavish hotels and been entertained in some incredibly opulent venues. On this occasion, my room was a spacious suite on a high floor with an uninterrupted view of the central city.

I rose early on Sunday to enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the central city. My first stop was Longshan Temple in Wanhau. It was easy to reach via the city’s underground metro, requiring one simple transfer. The temple was founded in 1738 by Han immigrants from Fujian. Over the years it’s served as a municipal, guild and self-defence centre, in addition to being a house of worship.

Longshan is dedicated to the bodhisattva of mercy, Guanyin. However, in true Taiwanese style, more than 100 other gods and goddesses are worshipped in the rear and side halls. To quote the Lonely Planet Guide, "Matsu, the goddess of the sea, is enshrined in the back centre; Wenchang Dijun, the god of literature, to the far right (he’s particularly popular during student exam time); red-faced Guan Gong, the god of war and patron of police and gangsters is enshrined to the far left; and in front of that is the Old Man Under the Moon, known as the Matchmaker or the Chinese Cupid."

The temple itself is wonderfully colourful and ornate. Its gilded cross beams are colourfully decorated, and its roof is festooned with swirling blue and red oriental dragons and other mythical figures. There's even a spectacular waterfall greeting visitors inside the entrance gate. With so much to see, I spent almost an hour exploring this surprisingly compact complex. Incredibly much of what’s on display is a reconstruction. In its time the temple has battled earthquakes, typhoons and a bombing in the final days of WWII.

A short ten-minute walk brought me to my next stop, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park, now known as Liberty Square. This expansive plaza is home to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a dramatic white edifice framed on either side by two identical ochre and vermilion buildings, the National Concert Hall and National Theatre Hall. Understandably, this striking complex is considered Taiwan’s national showpiece.

The heavens opened briefly as I reached the square, one of several passing showers that day. However, the sodden weather delivered an unexpected bonus. As you can see above, a dark, moody sky created a stunning photogenic backdrop for the square's iridescent white memorial hall and ceremonial gateway.

The hall is a grandiose monument to authoritarian leader Chiang Kai-shek. Visitors reach it via 89 marble steps (Chiang's age when he died). Inside the cavernous hall is an artefact museum paying tribute to Chiang. This includes his two Cadillacs, various documents, and mundane articles from daily life. 

The main hall is dominated by an imposing statue of a seated Chiang. An honour guard, in white uniform, stands watch at its base. Without a doubt, the statue has been modelled on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Once every hour, the honour guard changes. I stopped long enough to witness this slick ceremony unfold.

This imposing, awe-inspiring autocratic spectacle is a sage reminder that Taiwan’s democracy is relatively young. It’s easy to forget that its first free presidential election was held in March 1996, barely eight years earlier. However, the next stop on my walking tour highlighted its more ignominious past.

Nearby Jieshou Park and the oddly named 228 Peace Memorial Park bring some of Taiwan’s dark past to life. Jieshou Park is a simple plaza dominated by two memorials. The first is a prominent stature of former president Lin Sen, erected atop an elevated white plinth. At first, I thought the figure depicted was a famous Buddhist monk. However, Lin led the Republic of China for 12 years until he died in 1943.

A more modest memorial, a white marble wall, commemorates the Victims of the White Terror, a draconian response to uprisings that took place when martial law was imposed in 1949. The events of this era are immortalized and remembered in more detail in the neighbouring 228 Peace Memorial Park.

The park’s name refers to the date of a major uprising on February 28, 1947. On this day, a protest over the high-handed and frequently corrupt conduct of Kuomintang (KMT) officials turned violent. As the uprising spread, the local KMT-installed governor called for military reinforcements, and the uprising was violently put down by the National Revolutionary Army. An estimated 18,000 and 28,000 were killed during this incident and in the years that followed.

The park is a peaceful place of elaborate gardens, ponds, bridges, and stunning multi-tiered oriental vermillion pavilions. Opposite one end of the park stands the impressive red and white colonial facade of the Presidential Office Building. At the opposing end is the Taiwan National Museum. A second museum inside the park recounts the 228 uprising and its aftermath.

The weather lifted a little while I was in the park. As a result, I made a last-minute detour and headed to the Shin Kong Life Tower. At the time it was the second tallest building in Taipei and home to a popular observatory on its 48th floor. The photo above, taken from the observatory, shows 228 Peace Memorial Park in all its glory. It also neatly encapsulates my Sunday walking tour. Liberty Park appears on the top left, while the Presidential Office Building is on the far right. Longshan Temple is just out of frame in the upper right.

I hadn't planned to visit the Shin Kong Life Tower when I arrived in Taipei. Instead, on my first afternoon in town, I'd walked to Taipei 101, to try out its new observatory. This 508-metre-high teal-green skyscraper had been officially opened just five months earlier. At the time, it was the world’s tallest building, a title it held until the Burj Khalifa topped out in 2009. Its name reflects the number of occupied floors in the building.

However, I was disappointed to discover that Taipei 101's uppermost levels were still under construction. As a result, the observation deck on its 101st floor wasn't accessible. Instead, I was greeted by hoardings that promised a stunning view at some future point. The observatory was finally unveiled in January of the following year. Unsurprisingly, it instantly became Taiwan’s number one tourist destination. 

My Sunday walking tour finished with a visit to the nearby Shandao Temple. This is an understated, contemporary Buddhist temple building housing three large golden Buddha statues in a slick and shiny shrine. You gain entry to the complex via a bold mustard gateway. However, the main building itself is rather austere. In fact, at first glance, it looks more like a modestly trimmed high-rise building. It’s not until you walk inside that its religious trappings become evident.

With a healthy 5km walk under my belt, I returned to my hotel.  However, I had one final stop to make. On the way back, I made a short side trip to capture Taipei 101 in all its glory. This magnificent tower was just a block from my hotel making for a quick and easy photoshoot.

The next three days in Taiwan were filled with business meetings. I also conducted several training sessions with our licensed partner’s staff. I recall an interesting cross-cultural moment during one of these sessions. We discussed difficult clients who revise their brief, or change the KPI goalposts, mid-campaign. When asked how I’d handle this dilemma I said I’d politely call them out on their unfair conduct.

The sharp, audible gasp from the room immediately alerted me to my cultural faux pas. My audience was stunned that I’d let a client “lose face” in a business negotiation. I cannot recall a more visceral reaction to my counsel in the years I've worked in Asia. It was undoubtedly a teaching moment for me rather than my audience!

On my final afternoon in Taipei, I visited Computex, a major trade show underway in the central city. By chance, my trip had coincided with this event. At the time, it was the world’s second-largest technology industry trade show. It filled four massive exhibition halls conveniently located next to my hotel. The image above was published online by one of its 1240 exhibitors.

Wandering the Computex halls was an eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look at the IT industry’s plumbing. Entire zones within the halls were dedicated to motherboards, semiconductor foundries, and all manner of computer components. I recall being astounded by stand after stand offering an OEM version of almost every digital camera on the market.

On Wednesday 2 June, I returned to the airport, flew to Hong Kong, and transferred onto an overnight flight back to Sydney. If I ever return to Taiwan, I plan to see the scenic Taroko Gorge Road that crosses the island south of Taipei.  

I'll leave you with the following conundrum. While visiting Liberty Square I saw silkworms in one of its buildings. Despite plenty of Google research, I've yet to work out why they were there and what purpose they served. I vaguely recollect being told something about them replenishing silk thread for an artwork in the foyer or memorial artefact but the details escape me.