Category Archives: SPECIAL TOPICS

Taipei 101 Tuned Mass Damper (Taiwan)

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From the Inner Observatory, Jandy, Isha and I proceeded to see Taipei 101’s much publicized, massive Tuned Mass Damper (TMD).   Also called a harmonic absorber, a tuned mass damper is a device mounted in structures to reduce the amplitude of mechanical vibrations, moving in opposition to the resonance frequency oscillations of the structure by means of springs, fluid or pendulums. Their application can prevent discomfort, damage or outright structural failure. Taipei 101’s TMD was specially designed to reduce movement caused by strong gusts of wind.  This motion can be in the form of swaying or twisting, and can cause its upper floors to move more than a meter. Certain angles of wind and aerodynamic properties of a building can accentuate the movement and cause motion sickness  in people.

Isha trying out the Interactive Hallway

On our way to the TMD’s interior viewing platform, we were entertained by a dimly-lit interactive hallway where clouds cleared as we stepped on them, revealing a satellite top view of Taipei City. Once inside the platform, we espied the much hyped up, sphere-shaped mass block/wind vibration damper  suspended from the 92nd floor to the 87th floor by 8 steel cables.  Measuring 42 m. in length and 9 cm. in width, each cable is comprised of over 2,000 smaller cables to ensure flexibility and durability. A tuning frame supports the suspended steel cables, monitoring building vibration and adjusting cable movement to regularize building movement and optimize damping. The TMD cuts building vibration by up to 40% and can, on occasion, move by as much as 35 cm., moving with the building at the rate of one oscillation every 7 secs..

The Tuned Mass Damper

Taipei 101’s TMD, the largest, heaviest and only publicly visible damper sphere in the world, consists of 41 circular steel plates, each with a height of 125 mm. (4.92 in.) being welded together to form a 5.5 m. (18 ft.) diameter sphere.  It has a gross weight of 660 metric tons (728 short tons). The TMD was designed, manufactured and constructed by Motioneering, Inc. (Canada), at a cost of NT$132 million (US$4 million), while Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers along with Evergreen Consulting Engineering, Inc. were responsible for the overall structural design.The pinnacle, at 450-508 m. in height, features 2 smaller TMD units of 6 tons  (7 short tons) apiece. The pinnacle may oscillate up to 180,000 times a year due to strong wind loads.

Again posing with another Damper Baby mascot

Beneath the TMD, a specially designed bumper system of 8 primary hydraulic viscous dampers automatically absorbs  and dissipates vibration impacts, particularly during major typhoons or earthquakes where movement may exceed 150 cm. The TMD’s movements are not always visible.

The Taipei Metro (Taiwan)

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After our short visit at Shandao Temple, Jandy, Isha and I now entered the Shandao Temple MRT Station where we plan, for the first time, to try out the Taipei Metro, more commonly known as the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit or Metro Rail Transit) or formally as the Taipei Rapid Transit System, to get to Taipei City Hall, the gateway to the iconic Taipei 101 Building.

Shandao Temple Station Entrance

This rapid transit system, Taiwan’s first metro system, was built and operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) and it first began operations on March 28, 1996.  It consists of 96 stations and 110.1 kms. (68.4 miles) of revenue track. The system, an essential part of life in Taipei, carried an average of over 1.66 million passengers per day in December 2011.

Token vending machines

The Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) System operates in all 69 stations of the network. We  purchased our IC Single Journey RFID (radio frequency identification) tokens (in our case, blue as we were traveling along the Blue Line) from a token vending machine (NT$30 each).    They are valid only on the day of purchase.  These tokens replaced the existing magnetic single journey cards in 2007 (turnstiles were also replaced with speed gates during this time). We then have our tokens scanned at the speed gates to enter the station.  Upon reaching Taipei City Hall Station, our tokens were retrieved, again at the speed gates, once we exited the station.

IC Single Journey RFID token

The MRT system operates daily, from 6 AM to midnight, with extended services during special events such as New Year festivities. The trains operate at intervals of 1.5 to 15 mins., depending on the line and time of day. Stations become extremely crowded during rush hours, especially at transfer stations such as Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and Minquan West Rd.

Station speed gates

Automated station announcements are recorded in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and English. High-traffic stations, including Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and Taipei City Hall Station, have platform gates to prevent passengers and other objects from falling onto the rails.

Taipei City Hall MRT Station

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC): 7, Lane 48, Sec. 2, Zhongshan North Rd., 10448, Taipei City, Taiwan. Tel: (+886-2) 2536-3001.  Fax: (+886-2) 2511-5003. Website: http://english.trtc.com.tw

Taipei National Palace Museum (Taiwan)

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After our visit to the Revolutionary Martyr’s Shrine, we were next driven to the Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center for some souvenir shopping.  On sale were porcelain, cloisonne, oil paper umbrellas, painted fans, wood carvings, crystal, etc.  Reto, Gabriella, Jandy and I just browse around while Isha bought some souvenir gifts for her friends.

Taipei National Palace Museum

We next proceeded to the final destination in our half-day city tour – the 198-acre Taipei National Palace Museum.  The national museum of Taiwan, it houses one of the world’s largest and most valuable collection of Chinese art treasures, with over 677,687 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, most of them high-quality pieces from the Chinese imperial collection of China’s ancient emperors, began over 1,000 years ago in the early Song Dynasty.  The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of Chinese history,  from the Neolithic Age to the late Qing Dynasty.

Taipei National Palace Museum

As it was a weekend, the museum was packed with visitors and we had to queue in line.  We weren’t allowed to take photos of the collection.  Donning our headphones, Mr. Pang gave us interesting descriptions of the 1,700 artifacts on display which, incidentally, is only 1% of the total collection which numbers some 93,000 items of Chinese calligraphy, porcelain,  6,044 cast bronzes,  5,200 scroll paintings, 12,104 pieces of jade, 3,200 examples of lacquer and enamel ware, figurines, assorted carvings, fans, rubbings, coins, textiles and many other artifacts from Beijing’s Forbidden City as well as 562,000 rare, traditional books and documents. The rest of the collection is stored in temperature-controlled basement vaults. The displays are rotated once every 3 months, which means 60,000 pieces can be viewed in a year but it would take us nearly 12 years to see them all.

L-R: Jandy, Gabriella, Reto and Isha

The most famous and notable pieces on display at the museum are the Jadeite Cabbage (part of the dowry of the Qing Dynasty concubine Jin), the Meat-Shaped Stone, Agate Finger Citrons, White Jade Branch of Elegant Lychee, T’ien-huang Stone Miniature Mountain, the Jiu Manzhou Dang (a set of Manchu archives), the Carved Olive-stone Boat, the Jadeite Screen Insert and “One Hundred Horses,” a painting done in 1728 by Giuseppe Castiglione.

During the civil war, these important treasures were transferred, in 2,972 boxes, to Taiwan to evade damage.  This transition brought the re-establishment of the National Palace Museum (it was first called Chungsan Museum).  Designed by Huang Baoyu, its construction was started in 1962 and the museum was inaugurated on November 12, 1965, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925).

A sitting statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen

The museum has 4 floors, the first, second and third floors are used for exhibitions while the fourth floor is a lounge where visitors can rest.  On the left side of the museum hall is the Chih-shan Garden (showcases many of the elements of traditional Chinese gardening art) while on the right is the Chih-te Garden. Also part of the Taipei National Palace Museum is the Chang Dai-ch’ien Memorial Residence, the home of the celebrated painter Chang Dai-ch’ien (1901-1984).

Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center: No.1 Hsu Chow Rd., Taipei, Taiwan. Tel：(+886-2) 2393-3655.　Fax: (+886-2) 2393-7330. Email: thpc@handicraft.org.tw.  Website: www.handicraft.org.tw.

National Palace Museum: No.221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City 11143, Taiwan. Tel: (+886-2) 2881-2021. Website: www.npm.gov.tw. Open daily, 9 AM-5 PM. Admission: NT$160.

How to Get There: take the MRT Danshui Line to the Shilin Station then take bus R30 (Red 30 – Low-floor bus) to the National Palace Museum. Other routes that will take you to and near the Museum plaza are buses 255, 304, 815 (Sanchung – NPM Line), Minibus 18 and Minibus 19.

You can also take the MRT Wenhu Line to the Dazhi Station then take bus B13 (Brown 13) to the National Palace Museum, alighting before the Front Facade Plaza of the Museum. Alternatively, visitors may choose to take the Wenhu Line and get off at Jiannan Rd. Station, then take bus B20 (Brown 20) to NPM’s front entrance (Main Building).

Taipei Story House (Taiwan)

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Immediately adjacent to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum is the half-timbered Taipei Story House (old name Yuanshan Mansion), the only faux Tudor-style heritage building in Taiwan.  Built on the Yuanshan section of the Keelung River from1913–14 by Chen Chao-chun, a Dadaocheng tea merchant, it was originally a guest house for rich merchants and other important local people.   In 1998, the Taipei City Government designated this building as a Heritage Site and, in 2003, Miss K.C. Chen sponsored the establishment of Taipei Story House as a mini-museum to showcase historic cultural life in Taiwan, as well as to promote the re-use of historical buildings.

Taipei Story House

The ground floor is built of load-bearing brick while the upper floor is made of wood with English Tudor-style beams and woven branches on the exterior wall.  The staircase was constructed to look like a pagoda. The entrance portico is in the Classical style with Ionic columns.  The Gothic-style house tower and chimney are made of brick, and the curved gable is covered with bronze tiles, on which the verdigris caused by aging reveals the trace of time.

The Gothic-style tower

The tower above the entrance is inlaid with green, yellow and red-stained glass. Inside the house are two fireplaces and Art Nouveau tiles featuring natural and floral patterns. The overall configuration of the interior space, together with the outdoor balconies and terraces, exhibit a Classic style and are closely integrated with the surrounding landscape.

The European-style garden

The European-style garden, consisting of more than one hundred kinds of flowers, has a pond, red brick dwarf wall and curved paths.  Now a museum, it has exhibits related to tea and local history. Also within the grounds is the Story Tea House, a chic French fine dining restaurant opened in 2003 and operated by The Landis Taipei Hotel group.  We climbed up its view deck for a bird’s eye view of the complex.

Story Tea House

Our visit to Taipei Story House capped our walking tour of the city and, quite tired from all that walking, opted to take our first Taipei taxi ride (NT$100) back to the hotel. Later in the evening, we again had dinner, also along Changchun Rd., this time at a Burger King outlet.  Our half-day city was scheduled the next day.

Taipei Story House: 181-1 Zhongshan North Rd., Section 3, Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan.  Tel: (+886-2) 2587-5565. E-mail: story@storyhouse.com.tw. Website: www.storyhouse.com.tw. Open Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 AM-5:30 PM.  Admission: NT$50 (adults) and NT$40 (students and groups of 10+).  Free admission for children under 6 years of age, seniors over 65, and disabled person with one companion.

Story Tea House: Open daily, 11 AM-7 PM (11 AM-9 PM, Saturdays and Sundays).  Tel: (+886-2) 2586-8628.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Taiwan)

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From the Lin An Tai Historical House & Museum, Jandy and I proceeded to a 7-Eleven outlet for some ice cream before making our way to the 6-storey, 20,442 sq. m. Taipei Fine Arts Museum.  Shaped like a pound sign, it is a traditional siheyuan courtyard with a modern edge and its shape plus the creative sculptures (notably Ju Ming’s “Taichi Arch” and Lee Tsai-chien’s “Homerun”) in front made the museum easy for us to identify from afar.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Opened on December 24, 1983, it was the first purpose-built museum in Taiwan to host modern and contemporary art exhibitions.The museum has an actual constructed exhibition area of 11,741 sq. m. with more than 4000 pieces of art works. It consists of 24 galleries and is said to be larger than the National Palace Museum in terms of interior space. The art exhibits, which include the work of international and Taiwanese artists, change every few months.

Lee Tsai-chien’s “Homerun”

Each building floor has different arrangements, with the second floor displaying permanent collections while the third floor displays theme exhibitions. The basement is organized into 4 zones (D, E, F and G) for exhibitions and major art competitions.

Suspended gallery

Symmetrical and suspended gallery spaces are spread on each floor to form a new space where visitors can view and appreciate art. The grand windows also allow museum visitors to take in the beauteous views that overlook Yuan Shan, the Fine Arts Park Area and the surrounding environments. The building also houses audio rooms, art classrooms, gift shop (sells artwork and numerous souvenirs) and a library.

Another suspended gallery, this time glass-encased

The museum’s architecture, a local adaption of the Japanese Metabolist Movement (espouses large scale, flexible and expandable structures that evoked the processes of organic growth), is infused with elements borrowed from traditional Chinese architecture, which are presented via the structure of piled brackets in the form of suspended corridors, that, together, form a tubular-shaped composition. This tube-shape is identical to the Chinese character for “fountain,” hence fostering the museum’s analogue as a live source of culture. The task of designing and construction was given over to local architect Kao Er-Pan.

The Julian Rosefeldt “World Making” solo show

We didn’t view the paid exhibits but I did visit Julian Rosefeldt‘s  “World Making,” a free solo show of this much celebrated contemporary German new-media artist’s lavishly-produced 16 mm. and 35 mm. films and photo works (2001-2011).  Projected onto several screens to create a panorama-like effect, his films carry the viewer off into a surreal, theatrical world whose inhabitants are caught in the structures and rituals of everyday life.

The museum library

Taipei Fine Arts Museum: 181 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3, Zhongshan District, 10461 Taipei City, Taiwan.  Tel: (+886-2) 2595-7656. Fax: (+886-2) 2594-4104.  E-mail: info@tfam.gov.tw.  Website: www.tfam.taipei.gov.tw. Open Tuesdays-Sundays, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM (8:30 PM on Saturdays).  Admission: NT$30 (for adults) and NT$15 (discounted), 30% discount for group with more than 20 members.

How to Get There: Bus routes 203, 218, 220, 260, 277, 279, 310, 40, 42, 612, all exit at Taipei Fine Arts Museum station.  Via MRT, take the Danshui line and exit Yuanshan Station.  From here, it is a 5 min. walk to the museum.

Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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Within walking distance from Xinsheng Park is the Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum,  one of the few traditional courtyard complexes preserved in northern Taiwan and the best-preserved and maintained ancient house in Taipei City.  This traditional Chinese courtyard house, famous for its delicate carvings, was built in the southern Fujianese style which incorporates 3-sided courtyards, woods and gardens, all natural and shaped to embody the pristine elements.

Entrance to Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum

In 1754, Lin Chin-Ming (also known as Lin, Yao-Kung), a native from Anxi County of Fujian Province, sailed across the strait to Taiwan with his family. The Lin family engaged in trade in northern Taiwan and, with the money they made, they built this big, very refined 5-annex house with a square at where No.141 of Siwei Rd. now lies. The main building was completed between 1783 and 1785 while the side buildings were completed, one after the other, between 1822 and 1823.  In memory of his hometown, the fourth son, Lin, Chin-Neng (also known as Lin, Hui-Kung) named the house as “An Tai,” representing Anxi County and Rong Tai Company, the company he founded in Bangka.

Paved Front Yard of Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum

In 1978, due to its being located within the range of the project to expand Dunhua South Road plus its rejection as a historical site, the house faced demolition.  To save it, local activists petitioned to have the building spared as a cultural site. A blueprint containing every single measurement of the building was saved. The building was then meticulously dismantled, from decorations to bricks; stored safely and then relocated, piece by piece, to its current site at Binjang Park, in the shadows of the Jiankuo Expressway, in 1986.  In May 2000, it was opened  to the public as a museum and, in 2010, after its courtyard was extended, the museum became one of the exhibition halls of the Taipei International Flora Exposition.

Front Yard of Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum

The house’s landscaped courtyard, layout of buildings, waterscapes (“the proportion of water, bamboo and house is 30%, 20% and 10% respectively”), artificial hills and plants are all done in accordance with feng shui and Taoism,  reflecting the ancient Chinese’s multi-directional views of nature and life. In the past, the house had a Toad Peak in front of it as its “Mountain of feng shui,” plus shielding hills on both sides and a wind-gathering flat square in front of the semi-circular pond. Today, to reinstate the feng shui landscapes of the old house, an artificial hill, called Gu Zhu Ming Shan (Artificial Clay Modeling Hill), was created, using wire-mesh concrete, in front of a flat square and 2 slightly raised grasslands were used to surround the square.

Gu Zhu Ming Shan (Artificial Clay Modeling Hill)

Past the imposing front gate is the large, crescent-shaped (the best shape for bringing wealth in terms of feng shui) lotus pond, another feng shui device. Its shining surface deflects negative qi from sweeping through the main portal.  It also had practical purposes as it was used as a defense line if under attack, for raising fish, to fight fires, supply water, keep a moderate temperature by cooling incoming breezes and adds to the splendor of the old house’s surroundings.  Flowers grown all have their own symbolism – noble character (plum, orchid, bamboos and chrysanthemum), eternal youth (pine and cypress), wealth (peony), self-respect (lotus) and relief (lily).

The crescent-shaped lotus pond

This 34-room, stone and brick house has elegant decorations; beautiful, sloping swallow-tail roofs (this flouted imperial rules as this roofing style was the exclusive privilege of high-level mandarins) and the stone and artwork used were brought by ship from Fujian.  The roof ridges arch upwards to form a swallowtail structure. The mansion has a south-north axis, with rooms on the right and left side of the courtyard.

Courtyard of Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum

Its front door has creative carvings of 6 dragons, representing the 6 sons in the family while the carvings of vases and bats carry the meanings of good luck, wealth and safety. Pillow-shaped stones, gate pillars and hollows for the door axles are all carved from a single piece of stone. Each door was equipped with a hidden lock. The front yard is paved with red, moss-free and non-slip stones that were used by mainland merchants to stabilize their big sailing ships. 

Elaborate wood carving

Carved on the pillars, made of Chingtou stones, is a couplet “To live with a kind heart and maintain the achievements of ancestors.” Chinese characters, signifying good fortune and longevity, are printed on the two sides. By adding anti-termite agents, the original Guanyin stone, Fuzhou fir wood, and local bamboo, reed and bricks have been kept intact.

The main hall

Beyond the entrance is an intricately carved screen wall to divert evil. The main hall consists of a colorfully adorned altar depicting scenes from Chinese mythology. The ancestors depicted at the altar are worshiped in an annual ceremony. Walking through the house, we directly experienced the lifestyle of the Taiwanese people 200 years ago as the interiors of the house are full of decorative details and antiques such as an earthen rice grinder, a stone mill, cupboards, a huge cooking hearth in the kitchen, an intricately carved wooden bed and a dresser.

Intricately carved wooden antique furniture

Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum: 5 Binjiang St., Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan. Tel: (+886-2) 2599-6026, (+886-2) 2720-8889 (ext.6239) and (+886-2) 2598-1572. Fax: (+886-2) 2599-6521.  Open daily except Mondays and folk holidays (Chinese New Year, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival), 9 AM-9 PM (5 PM on Sundays). Admission is free.

How to Get  There:  take the MRT to Yuanshan Station (Exit 1), then hop on the bus 222 to the Xinsheng Park stop.

Xinsheng Park (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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From Xintian Temple, Jandy and I again made our way along Song Jiang Road all the way to the 19.5-hectare Xinsheng Park, the second largest park in Taipei. Situated around Minquan East Rd., between Xinsheng North Rd. Section 3 and Binjiang St., Xinsheng Park was developed in 1978 and includes a warm-water swimming pool, tennis courts, children’s playgrounds, a maze garden, a baseball field and basketball courts.

A poignant scene of a father and daughter flying a kite at Xinsheng Park

Every now and then, we witnessed, up close, the periodic take-offs and landings of low-flying jet aircraft as the park is just under the flight path of the nearby Songshan International Airport.  In between flights, the park is still a great place for relaxing, flying a kite, exercising or just reading a book. The widened park avenue is now popular with young people who indulge in skateboarding on weekends and holidays.

Serenity Garden

The park’s colorful plants, bushes and flowers, planted and taken care of by the Yuanshan Park Administration, were brought in from the Minzu nursery where they were raised from seeds or bulbs. The nursery produces about 100,000 plants annually for placement in parks.  Flora in the park include African balsam; scarlet sage; chrysanthemums; maidenhair; crab apples; cherry trees; amaranths; jonquils; banyans (with complete and beautiful canopies), tall and upstanding araucarias; garcinias (scattered in the central axis); poicianas (with charming flowers); Taiwanese goldrain trees; bauhinia; coral bean trees; wax trees; kapoks; hazel sterculias (with the most distinctive flowers and fruits); Indian dillenias, among others. The luxuriant foliage changes with the 4 seasons of the year.

Also scattered around the lush greens are 9 sculptures  donated by the Taipei Lions Club and the Rotary Clubs:  “Leisure Years,”  “Auspicious Earth,”  “Flock of Cranes,” “Hope,” “Prosperity,”  “Friendship and Peace,”  “Father’s Words,”  “The Alignment of Spring” and “Unified.”

Park Sculpture

Park Sculpture

Xinsheng Park was 1 of the 4 exhibition regions during the 171-day (November 6, 2010-April 25, 2011) Taipei International Flower Expo (the others were Yuanshan Park, Taipei Artist Park and Dajia Riverside Park).  During the expo, it was home to 3 themed floral displaying sites (Floral Tunnel, Fujian Garden and Palace of Floral Tea) and 4 pavilions (Pavilion of Regimen, Pavilion of Dreams, Pavilion of Angel Life and the Pavilion of Future).  The green whale sculptures and sculpture of waves at the Flower Base under Trees Area have remained, while Serenity Garden, the European geometric garden with an oriental sensation, was also kept intact.

Flower Base under Trees Area (the green whale sculpture is on the right)

The last 3 pavilions, which received green building certification, were designed by local architect Chang Ching-hwa, ­the designer of Taipei’s Beitou Library, who is well known for incorporating reusable and eco-friendly materials into her works. Powered by solar panels (making them the city’s largest energy-saving facility), all 3 were built completely out of wood and recyclable materials. The roofs are layered with ETFE, the thermal insulating plastics used for the Beijing National Aquatics Center.

Pavilion of Future

Jandy and I first visited the Pavilion of Future.  Probably the greenest building in the Taipei International Flora Expo, it was designed to showcase gardening technology with an eco-friendly focus, energy conservation, waste reduction and health protection.  This intelligent greenhouse, Taiwan’s first energy-conserving greenhouse, uses a combination of ultraviolet ray insulation, floor cooling systems, solar panels and other facilities to help manage indoor temperature.

Interior of Pavilion of Future

Next, we dropped by the Pavilion of Regimen, also known as the “White Mansion.”  During the expo, it displayed Taiwan’s own unique bonsai aesthetics and techniques (“Healthy Living and Endless Life Bonsais”),  precious trees and plants that are over hundreds of years old, plus a large variety of plants and herbs used in Chinese medicine.

Pavilion of Regimen

Xinsheng Park: 105, Section 3, Xinsheng North Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. Tel: (+886-2) 2598-3024  (Administering Dept：Yuanshan Park Administration).

How To Get There: Take bus 5, 33, 72, 74, 222, 279, 286, 505, 642 bus and get off at Minzu East Rd and Song Jiang Rd.

Xingtian Temple (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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After checking in at our hotel room and freshening up a bit, Jandy and I went out for lunch, bringing our jackets as it was drizzling when we arrived in Taipei.  After changing a US$100 note for New Taiwan Dollars at Taipei Fortune Hotel (the banks were closed it being a Saturday), we walked along Song Jiang Road to Changchun Road where, near the corner, we dined on burgers at a MacDonald’s outlet.

Xingtian Temple as seen from Song Jiang Road

Thus sated, we started our own tour of the city, walking back to Song Jiang Road, past our hotel, towards Minquian East Road, where the 7,000 sq. m. Xintian Temple (and an MRT station) is located.   This relatively new temple (also called Hsing Tien Kong or Shingtien Temple), built in 1967, is one of the biggest and most popular (visitors sometimes number more than 20,000 a day) temples in Taipei.

Entrance to Xingtian Temple

The temple is dedicated to Guan Yu or Guan Gong (162-219 A D ), a famous general who lived  during the Three Kingdoms period (184-280 AD) and an important character in the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms.  A man who valued loyalty and righteousness above all things, Guan Gong was later deified and worshiped as the God of War (and, by extension, of martial arts).  Since he had a gift for strategy and tactics and was also adept at managing finances, Guan Gong is also worshiped as the patron deity of businessmen and merchants.

Main building of Xingtian Temple

It being a weekend, this  simple and dignified temple’s courtyard was filled with with crowds of worshipers bowing their heads, burning incense or kneeling in devotion, praying for help or seeking divine guidance by consulting oracle blocks.  Sculptures of dragons feature prominently in this temple’s design.  Its soaring, ship-prow roofs are adorned with carved dragons.

The unusual censer (incense urn)

At the front courtyard of the hall, we noticed a censer (incense urn) with 2 handles in the shape of golden-winged dragons clinging to each side, a somewhat unusual design, with its 2-tiered metal canopy adorned with a horde of dragons’ heads stretching toward the sky.

A long table with offerings

On the main altar, we saw long tables with offerings of fresh flowers, fresh fruit (pineapples, bananas, apples, etc.), migao (a sticky, slightly sweet rice cake) and tea from the faithful.  The temple forbids the killing of of animals as offerings;  discourages the burning of ritual paper money (or “ghost” or “spirit” money) as an offering to the deities and the spirits of the deceased; the staging of operas for the gods; the presenting of gold medallions in gratitude to the deities; and the like. Candles are supplied for free to worshipers and there is no donation box (a first for traditional religion in Taiwan). After the gods have partaken of the offering’s essence, these are eventually given to the needy.

Statue of the red-faced, black-bearded Guang Gong

Among a pantheon of Chinese deities is the easily identifiable statue of the black-bearded, red-faced Guan Gong.  In his youth, the face color of this defender of the weak was said to have been given to him  by an immortal as a disguise after he killed a local bully. Along the hallways of the temple are elderly seated nuns, in  blue robes, reading scriptures.

Blue-robed nuns reading scriptures

People also stand in line to get blessed by these blue-robed nuns who wave incense onto the clothes of visitors in the practice of shoujing (which restores souls that have left the body in a frightened state).  These nuns, who tend to the day-to-day operation of the temple, also hand out incense sticks.

A nun blessing a worshiper

We missed visiting the “Street of Fortune Telling ,” the famous psychic alley located at the underground pedestrian passage  under the Song Jiang-Minquan intersection, filled with numerous fortune telling stands.  These fortune tellers, who do a brisk trade taking commercial advantage of the temple’s popularity, offer answers to troubled people or discuss the future.

 Xingtian Temple: No. 109, Section 2, Minquan East Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan.  Tel: (+886-2) 2503-1831 and (+886-2) 2502-7924.

How to Get There: Take the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) or TRA to Taipei Station, transfer to the MRT to Xingtian Temple Station.  Go out Exit 3, then turn right.  The temple is on the other side of a crossroad. You can also take the 5, 33, 49, 63, 72, 74, 214, 222, 225, 283, 285, 286, 505 or 617 bus to Xingtian Temple Stop.

The Other Ati-Atihan Festival (Aklan)

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The highlight of my 5-day visit to Aklan with Gil Bilog, my wife Grace’s first cousin (on her mother’s side), was our visit to Ibajay town to attend the Ati-Atihan.     Held on the weekend after the more well-known and recently held (just a week ago) Kalibo version of the festival, this Ati-Atihan is less commercialized but just as old and is said by Ibajaynons to be the original and more authentic of the two. It being a Sunday, Gil and I planned to leave very early to make it to the town’s 8:30 AM mass. Joining us was Carl Flores, John Paul Sta. Maria and Jayrel Vicedo, Grace’s first cousin, nephew and grandnephew respectively (all on her father’s side).  Jayrel was to drive us there on our Mitsubishi Adventure. We left Malay poblacion by 7:30 AM and the 35-km. drive took just a little over 30 mins. 

Gil and I outside the Church of St. Peter the Apostle

After parking our car at the town center, we made a short walk to the Church of St. Peter the Apostle.  When we entered the church, the main aisle was cleared of pews and the churchgoers, including us, stood at the sides.  Special guest was Kalibo Bishop Jose Corazon Talaoc who delivered his homily in Aklanon.  Many devotees brought images of the highly venerated Sto. Nino (Holy Child Jesus), in varying shapes and sizes.  Old stories said that the image of the Sto. Nino  miraculously protected Ibajay from the bandits and and Moro pirates by preventing the invaders from docking their ships along the shoreline of the town.

The church interior

The end of the mass signaled the start of the culminating parade, a competition among groups (representing different tribes), with devotees dressed as warriors in flamboyant and colorful costumes made from native materials adroitly fashioned into feathers, headdresses and vests and carrying images of the Sto. Nino. By tradition, the devotees paint their faces with black soot and imitated the playful likeness of the Ati (or Aetas), the short, dark-skinned and kinky-haired first settlers of the Philippines. Ibajay claims to be the original site where the Atis came down from the hills to celebrate with the lowlanders.

Devotees dressed in flamboyant and colorful costumes

This parade is coupled with festive merrymaking, with heads, torsos, hands and feet gyrating and swaying to the sounds of whistles and rhythmic, hypnotic and continuous beating of drums with repeated shouts of “Viva Kay Senor Sto, Nino Viva!”  Some tourists and locals also smeared their arms, legs, and even their whole torso with soot, and joined in the street dancing.

A coconut-themed float

There were also simple floats, representing the town’s different barangays, decorated with palm fronds, fruits and vegetables and the all-important image of the Sto. Nino. On stakes were cooked fish, grilled chicken,  succulent steamed mud crabs, cholesterol-rich lechon (roasted pigs) and even bayawak (monitor lizards). The parade wound through the town, from the municipal hall to the main highway and back to the town center ending with an entrance to the church for a blessing.

Bayawak and steamed mud crabs on stakes

Unlike other major festivals, there’s no big cash prize for the best float, costume or dancing. We watched the parade from our vantage point at the palatial residence of Ang Kasangga Partylist Cong. Teodorico “Nonong” T. Haresco, Jr. (a fourth cousin of Grace).  After the parade, we dined, as guests of Cong. Haresco, on lechon, prawns and a dessert of buko pandan.  After lunch, we dropped by the residence of Judge Cesar Sta. Maria (another fourth cousin of Grace) and posed by the Ibajay Municipal Hall before returning to Malay.

L-R: Jayrel, Gil, the author and Carl

New Year’s Countdown at Manila Hotel

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Last New Year, my family and I tried tried something new and different, spending the start of the year outside the country, firecracker-free in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a first for all of us.  We just watched the fireworks at the Petronas Towers.  This year, we still had the same mindset, opting again to spend it outside our home (but not outside the country), this time a New Year’s countdown at the prestigious Manila Hotel for an incomparable evening of feast and festivities in a manner worthy of the country’s oldest bastion of hospitality.

Manila  Hotel – the Grande Dame of Manila

The Manila Hotel was opened for the first time to the public on July 4, 1912.  The original US$700,000 hotel, also the country’s first air-conditioned building, was designed in the California Missionary-style by American architect William E. Parsons in 1910.  At the time, this magnificent, white, green-tile-roofed edifice had 149 spacious, high-ceiling rooms. Its fifth floor penthouse, designed by Arch. Andres Luna de San Pedro (son of painter Juan Luna), was, from 1935 to 1941, the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (its first chairman of the board), his wife Jean and son Arthur.

The hotel’s beautiful lobby

The hotel played host to author Ernest Hemingway (who said “Its a good story if it’s like Manila Hotel”), actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Edward (Prince of Wales), playwright Claire Boothe Luceand, during the Japanese Occupation,  Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita.  During the liberation of Manila, it was severely damaged by room-to-room fighting.  Reopened on July 4, 1946, it hosted author James A. Michener; actors Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Tyrone Power and Burgess Meredith; U.S. Secretary John Foster Dulles; Sen. Robert F. Kennedy; British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, the Rockefeller brothers, Publisher Henry R. Luce, rock star Michael Jackson; U.S. Vice-Pres. Richard M. Nixon, U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, the Beatles and other notable personalities.

The lobby dressed up for the New Year countdown

In 1977, the hotel underwent a US$30,000,000 renovation with an 18-storey tower designed by the late National Artist Architect Leandro V. Locsin built behind the old building.  The lavish interiors were done by American Patricia and Dale Keller and the renovated hotel reopened on October 6, 1977.

The Sunset Suite

We made our own grand entrance at the hotel’s main lobby on the afternoon of the 31st of December.  The 125 ft. (38 m.) long by 25 ft. (7.6 m) wide main lobby, lined with white Doric columns, was designed, not only for making grand entrances, but for sitting as well, its furniture carved with Philippine mahogany.  The lobby floors were made with Philippine marble while the ceiling is lined with chandeliers made of brass, crystal and seashells. Traditional Filipino art also adorns its walls.

Cafe Ilang-Ilang’s Dessert Station

The hotel that day was 90% booked for the countdown, with a long queue at the check-in counter, and it took some time before we finally checked into our fourth floor Sunset Suite, one of 570  traditionally decorated and elegantly furnished rooms that reflect the hotel’s storied past blended with the conveniences of a modern luxury hotel. Our suite had 2 bedrooms, a dining area and a living area.  Amenities here include individually controlled central air conditioning, remote-control TV with cable channels, minibars, separate bath and toilet with extension phone, and secure in-room safes.

Grace, Cheska, the author and Jandy at Cafe Ilang-Ilang

Once settled in, we then went down for our crossover buffet dinner (6 PM to 9 PM) which extends through all the hotel’s celebrated food and beverage outlets: Cafe Ilang-Ilang, Champagne Room, Mabuhay Palace (an impeccable Chinese restaurant), Tap Room Bar and Lobby Lounge.  That night, it was not a choice of which restaurant to go to, but, rather, which restaurant to visit first.  We chose the famous Cafe Ilang-Ilang which was recently renovated and launched as a 3-period meal buffet restaurant. It opens to the newly renovated Pool and Garden areas and boasts of 9 live cooking stations.

The Tap Room Bar

Here, we faced a stunning and wide array of Filipino and international (Korean, Japanese, Indian, etc.) cuisine, tried-and-true dishes prepared by Filipino and foreign chefs, all backed by years of professional experience in acclaimed restaurants around the world.  To fully enjoy the cafe’s  stellar main courses, we ate small portions of everything.

The countdown begins …..

After our filling buffet dinner, we moved on to the Tap Room Bar for dessert and brewed coffee. We capped our evening with the New Year’s Countdown at the Lobby where, prior to bidding farewell to 2011 and counting the seconds to 2012, we enjoyed live entertainment, with music and dancing provided by the Filipinas Band.

The Filipinas Band
Manila Hotel: 1 Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila: Tel: 527-0011. Fax: 527-0022-24 & 527-1124.  Domestic Toll Free: 1-800-9-1888-0011.  Email: sales@manila-hotel.com.ph and reservations@manila-hotel.com.ph.  Website: www.manilahotel.com.ph.