< Visited in Mar 2015 >
Taipei Main Station 台北车站 should hardly be foreign to travellers. Other than being a transport hub for inter-city commute, shopping and dining options are aplenty (fancy malls, underground malls, outlet street, tuition centre street, etc.). Quite by chance when staying in the tuition centre zone, I spotted a majestic looking building which turned out to be the Taiwan National Museum 国立台湾博物馆 (not to be mistaken for National Palace Museum 国立故宫博物院), and in its vicinity, the 228 Peace Memorial Park 二二八和平纪念公园, 228 Memorial Museum 二二八国家纪念馆 and Land Bank Exhibition Hall 土银展示馆.
▼ Taiwan National Museum 国立台湾博物馆 has both permanent and ticketed exhibitions, though I didn't get to visit this trip.
▼ A short walk to the back of TNM is the tranquil 228 Peace Memorial Park 二二八和平纪念公园.
▼ These pavilions make good picnic spots (just remember to bring your litter away with you).
▼ Approaching the 228 Memorial 二二八纪念碑. In reality, "228" is a painful reference to a dark chapter in Taiwanese history which took place in 1947 (details later in this blog).
The huge park seems well used by local residents. In the early days of modern Taiwan, the park was said to be a favourite haunt for gays - inspiring the backdrop of author Bai Xianyong 白先勇's novel "Crystal Boys 孽子" about a son's sexual orientation awakening and his conservative soldier-dad's reaction in those traditional days. Taiwan has definitely come a long way since those days, being the first Asian country to legalize same-gender marriage in 2019.
Even the squirrels here are well-fed and approachable.
NTU Hospital MRT Station 台大医院站 (R09 on the red line) is within the park premises.
Related reading:
[Taichung 台中] Taichung Park ♦ 台中公园
At the far end of the park is 228 Memorial Museum 二二八国家纪念馆, officially opened on 28 February 1997, on the 50th anniversary of the 228 Incident 二二八事件.
My visit was coincidentally in the week of 28 February which granted free admission to the museum. Otherwise, admission fee is a nominal NT$20, for a glimpse into this painful chapter of Taiwanese history which marked an important turning point in the country's road to democracy.
▼ Another short walk away is the Taiwan Land Bank Building 台湾土地银行, its architecture a work of art, now conserved and converted to new use.
The building is now an exhibition museum (under the TNM umbrella). For a (once again nominal) fee of NT$30, I visited the dinosaur exhibit (very family and kids-friendly).
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Taipei 228 Memorial Museum | 台北二二八纪念馆
(Website available in Chinese)
Address --- 3 Ketagalan Boulevard 凯达格兰大道3号
Nearest MRT Station --- NTU Hospital MRT Station, exit 1
Land Bank Exhibit | 土银展示馆
(Website available in Chinese, English & Japanese)
Address --- No. 25, Xiangyang Road, Zhongzheng District 襄阳路25号 (diagonally opposite TNM)
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