Taiwan: Longshan Temple 艋舺龍山寺 & Huaxi Street Night Market 華西街夜市 in Taipei's Wanhua District 萬華區

On the evening of our second day in Taipei, we visited Taipei's Longshan Temple 艋舺龍山寺 and another night market, the (in)famous Huaxi Street Night Market 華西街夜市 or Snake Alley in Taipei's Wanhua District 萬華區.


Known as the Mengjia Longshan Temple 艋舺龍山寺, it was built by settlers from Fujian in 1738. Longshan is a fine example of Taiwanese classical architecture. It has actually gone through a lot, having been destroyed by several earthquakes and fires, and the finally, the Second World War when it was hit by American bombers. A symbol of Taipei's resiliency, residents have consistently rebuilt it. It's one of those traditional Taiwanese temples you shouldn't miss when you visit Taipei.



From the temple, we proceeded to the Huaxi Street Night Market or Snake Alley. It's a two-block long night market that is quite notorious for serving almost anything from snake and turtle blood and meat, and deer penis wine among many others. Animal lovers need not visit since I myself was quite shocked seeing a turtle being cut up into pieces while alive and moving.



But not everything served there is exotic as there are also normal food stalls in the area, especially at the entrance of the market. And just like in any market, the hawker food there is also worth visiting. More photos of day 2 in Ivan About Town FB page. Also check out Raohe Street Night Market 饒河街觀光夜市 in Taipei.

Note: This familiarization tour of Taipei, Taiwan was organized by China Airlines. Book online at the China Airlines website.

Taiwan: Taiwanese food at Wan Lin & Chi Chia Chuang Restaurant

Food is an important part of Taiwanese culture. Which is why you shouldn't miss out on the local Taiwanese fare. For lunch and dinner on the second day, our group was brought to two restaurants which served Taiwanese food.


Wan Lin Restaurant was the typical Taiwanese diner and fast food. You had a turo-turo counter in the first floor, the usual scene you'd see in our own carinderias but in a better setting. You could order packed food to go or sit in their tables arranged fast food style. While the second floor was for the traditional Chinese round-table dining. It was the same food, but different way of serving it.



We were served a wide range of dishes including chicken, beef, pork, seafood and vegetables. Unfortunately, they did not have an English menu so we simply ate and savored what was served on the table.


For dinner, we had more Taiwanese food at Chi Chia Chuang Restaurant. A specialty of the house was the Three Taste Chicken which featured three different kinds of preparing the chicken into an appetizer. You could see the chicken displayed in the window of the restaurant.



Other dishes we ate included (1) Silver Fish with Vegetable Slices, (2) Oyster in Pickled Black Bean, (3) Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet, (4) Chi-Chia-Chuang Dough-Foux (tofu), (5) Turnip Egg Pancakes, and Chicken with Clam Casserole among many others. More photos of day 2 in Ivan About Town FB page.

Note: This familiarization tour of Taipei, Taiwan was organized by China Airlines. Book online at the China Airlines website.

Taiwan: Treasures of the National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院

The National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院 has the most significant collection of Chinese artifacts in the world, even bigger than the Palace Museum in Beijing. The history of the National Palace Museum in Taipei actually began in 1925 when it was established in the Forbidden City in Beijing. This explains why the word palace is included in the name rather than just National Museum.

In 1931, to protect the collection from the ravages of the Sino-Japanese War, the collection was moved to the hinterlands of China. When civil war erupted between the Nationalist and Communist forces, the collection covering about 600,000 artifacts and works of art, were shipped to Taiwan. This explains why Taiwan has the better and most significant pieces of Chinese works of art and culture.

Unfortunately, we could not take photos inside. But needless to say, the collection was awe-inspiring. And some pieces were so intricate and detailed, one would simply wonder how they were made.

The oldest artifacts are prehistoric pottery that are over 5,000 years old. The collection includes artifacts made from jade and other precious stones, bronze, ivory, porcelain, lacquerware and enamel. There are also works of art, tapestries, priceless documents and books among many others.

Today, the collection has grown to 700,000 artifacts. And for the public to see all of them, exhibits are rotated every three months. With 15,000 different items shown every month, and 60,000 every year, it would take 12 years of constant visits to the museum for you to actually see the entire collection. More photos of day 2 in Ivan About Town FB page.

National Palace Museum
No.221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd., Shilin District
Tel. No. +886 (2) 28812021
E-mail: service01@npm.gov.tw

Note: This familiarization tour of Taipei, Taiwan was organized by China Airlines. Book online at the China Airlines website.