Taipei

As the island’s largest city, Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, as well as its administrative, cultural and industrial center.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History Situated on the Danshui River at the northern tip of the island, it contains most of the country’s important factories producing textiles, electronic products, electrical machinery, printed materials, and foods and beverages.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History

Beginning in the 1960s, construction in the city gave rise to new high-rise apartments and office buildings.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History Since the late 1980s, major reconstruction of the city’s infrastructure has resulted in the creation of a high speed light rail system.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei/transport/getting-there-away Taipei also houses the National Palace Museum, the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101, and several universities.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei The campus of National Taiwan University holds more than twenty species of azaleas that bloom each March, giving rise to Taipei’s nickname, "The City of Azaleas”. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZwuvUbqViNEC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=taipei+%22city+of+azaleas%22&source=bl&ots=oTaXAEsN49&sig=62K92bPTrtBa4MwHTvNRtsrTIjQ&hl=en&ei=eIn9TK_mHsL7lwfvm9i9CA

The Taipei Basin was originally the ancestral homeland of the aboriginal Pingpu Tribe, but was eventually settled by the Han Chinese during the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1084524&ctNode=29490&mp=100002 In the 17th century, as Western European countries began to extend their domination into Asia, Taiwan was occupied first by the Dutch and then the Spanish.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1084524&ctNode=29490&mp=100002 In 1709, the Qing dynasty reversed the Ming dynasty decree that had prevented Chinese settlement of Taiwan, allowing citizens of the Fujian province to emigrate.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei/history Many of these Chinese immigrants settled in the area of Taipei, developing communities and trading ports along the Danshui River.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei/history

The Taipei Basin became increasingly populated under the reign of the Qing Dynasty, culminating in the construction of Taipei City from 1882 to 1884. It was built in the shape of a square, protected by stone walls with five gates leading into the city.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1084524&ctNode=29490&mp=100002 In 1895, after China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War, Taipei, along with the rest of Taiwan, was claimed by Japan.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1084524&ctNode=29490&mp=100002 Under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945, the city's infrastructure was further developed.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei/history Taipei was then established as the administrative headquarters of the island.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taipei/history

In 1945 China reclaimed possession of Taiwan.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1084524&ctNode=29490&mp=100002 Taipei was made the provisional capital of the Central Government in 1949.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1084524&ctNode=29490&mp=100002 The city of Taipei grew after 1949, leading to its establishment as a province in 1967. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History The city’s population increased from one million in the early 1960s to over two million by the mid-1970s. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History Population growth gradually slowed after that, but by the mid-1990s Taipei was one of the world’s most densely populated urban areas. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History

Taipei lies in the northern part of the island, nestled in the Taipei Basin.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History This relatively narrow, bowl-shaped valley is surrounded by the Danshui river in the west and by mountains in the north, south and east.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/Historyhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History The landscape includes a variety of terrains, including volcanic mountains, foothills, terrace tablelands, coastal plains and river wetlands.http://english.taipei.gov.tw/np.asp?ctNode=27671&mp=100002 Taipei's climate is subtropical, with hot, muggy, rainy summers and cool, damp winters.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History

• National Palace Museum: Houses one of the world’s largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts, calligraphy, paintings, and porcelainhttp://www.npm.gov.tw/en/about/tradition.htm http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580809/Taipei/231554/History

• Taiwan Folk Arts Museum: Privately owned museum built in the 1920s exhibits artifact and antiqueshttp://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1117758&ctNode=27687&mp=100002

• Taipei Fine Arts Museum: Opened in 1983, created to enhance the cultural life of the cityhttp://www.tfam.museum/11_About_TFAM/Default.aspx?PKID=56&flag=0

• Taipei 101: Tallest building in the world containing business facilities, a mall and an observatory restauranthttp://www.taipei-101.com.tw/en/Corp/index_corp.asp

• Shilin Night Market: One of the largest night markets in Taipeihttp://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002090&id=154

• Huaxi Street Tourist’s Night Market: Offers Chinese crafts and Taiwanese snackshttp://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1104326&ctNode=27688&mp=100002

• Longshan Temple: A national historical relic built in 1738http://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1100397&ctNode=30283&mp=100002

• Xihai City God Temple: 140 year old temple in which rare Chinese “Chopper Style” architecture can be seenhttp://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1100397&ctNode=30283&mp=100002

• Yangmingshan National Park: Closest national park to the cityhttp://english.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1100413&ctNode=30282&mp=100002

• Taipei Zoo: Home of the rare Formosan black bearhttp://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002090

• Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hallhttp://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002090&id=73

• Ma Ying-jeou: President of Taiwanhttp://english.president.gov.tw/Default.aspx?tabid=454

• Hou Hsiao-Hsien: International filmmakerhttp://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Ha-Ji/Hou-Hsiao-Hsien.html

• Steve Chen: Co-founder and CTO of YouTubehttp://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/10/08/2003330845

• Jerry Yang: Co-founder of Yahoo! Inchttp://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2004/03/12/2003102170