Taipei One Day Private Tour

In the early morning, board the double-decker open-top sightseeing bus, choose an open-air seat on the upper deck, and take the Blue Line to visit the National Palace Museum in Taipei. As one of China's three major museums, the National Palace Museum in Taipei has earned a place among the world's renowned museums thanks to its rich collection. Here, we will visit its star exhibits: the Jadeite Cabbage, the Mao Gong Ding (a bronze tripod from the Western Zhou Dynasty), and the Meat-Shaped Stone.

Taipei National Palace Museum

Jadeite Cabbage

Meat-Shaped Stone

Afterwards, we will take the double-decker sightseeing bus on the Red Line to visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which was built to commemorate Chiang Kai-shek. It consists of the Memorial Hall Building, the Memorial Archway, the Taipei National Theater and Concert Hall and other components. The guard mounting ceremony is held at the hour. If we arrive at the right time, we will be able to watch the guard mounting ceremony.

Memorial Hall

Taipei National Theater and Concert Hall

After lunch, we will head to Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taipei. We will take the high-speed elevator that travels at 1,010 meters per minute, which can reach the 89th-floor observation deck in just 37 seconds. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, we can overlook the Taipei Basin. The huge wind damper on the 88th floor is an even more stunning engineering marvel.

Taipei 101

In the evening, we will walk to Longshan Temple. The architecture and sculptures inside the temple fully showcase the beauty of Minnan-style architecture and incorporate many historical stories and myths from ancient China. It is the perfect place to learn about Taipei's folk belief culture, and it is said to be the most efficacious temple in Taiwan. Right outside the temple is Huaxi Night Market Street, where you can try Taiwan's characteristic delicacies such as squid soup, braised pork rice and Beigang sweet soup, bringing a satisfying end to your taste buds.

Your Journey's Rewards:

Admire the treasure pieces of Taipei Palace Museum, watch the guard mounting ceremony at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall; climb Taipei 101 to enjoy the view of the basin, learn about Taipei's folk belief culture, and taste characteristic Taiwanese cuisine.

Educational Focus:

Is the Meat-shaped Stone in the Taipei Palace Museum a natural stone or one that has been deliberately carved?

Takeaway:

The Meat-shaped Stone originates from jasper-like minerals in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia. It naturally has layered textures and colors similar to meat. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, Abao, the second-generation prince of the local area, presented this rare stone to the imperial court as a New Year gift. It was deeply loved by the emperor, who specially ordered the creation of a pure gold base for it. After being brought into the palace, craftsmen further refined it to make it more resemble streaky pork with skin. In 1949, this Meat-shaped Stone was transported to Taiwan along with a batch of cultural relics. Eventually, it was collected by the Taipei Palace Museum and became one of its "Three Treasures of the Museum".

Thoughts Challenge:

Is a work of art formed purely by nature more attractive and valuable, or is an exquisitely manually carved work of art more valuable?