Buddhism
The internationally acclaimed Chan Zen Master Sheng-yen who passed away in Feb 2009 has a monastery in Beitou where there are regular meditation meetings with instruction given in English. See Beitou page for more information.
Tibetan Buddhism
In recent years, Tibetan Buddhism has become very popular in Taiwan, and the Taipei area alone boasts more than fifty centers. So, on any given night there will be teachings and rituals being held in the city. Taipei has become a regular port of call for many of the well known rinpoches. While most teachings are given in Tibetan with translation into Chinese, some are given in English. For information on teachings, check notice boards at vegetarian restaurants. For purchase of Buddha statues and other Buddhist artifacts, see 'Potala' under listings for 'Buy'
The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation
The international Buddhist foundation The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation has its headquarters in Taipei. The foundation publishes books on Buddhism in various languages including English which it offers for free. For detailed information check the foundations web site: (http://www.budaedu.org.tw/en/)
Theme parks
Taipei Water Park
èªä¾æ°´åå 1 shiyuan street (http://waterpark.twd.gov....) is situated in gongguan area and was newly opened in 2007. the park is built around the museum of drinking water. many facilities are all about water. the most popular are water slides and swimming spas. but the facilities are open only in summer entry included with the museum ticket
Taipei Zoo
å°ååç©å, 30 xinguang rd sec. 2 (http://english.taipei.gov...). nestled in a tight, lush valley, taipei zoo has all the leisurely charm of a large park, but for your nt$60 you also get the enjoyment of wandering through trees and along lanes with a variety of animals and birds. unlike many traditional zoos, the animals here are not confined to cages, but allowed to roam freely in open paddocks, and it is a very clean and well maintained facility. furthermore, due to the city government's education policy, the zoo is very much an integral part of taipei life. so much so in fact, that when an old elephant, lin-wang ææº, became ill and died several years ago, several generations turned up, many with tears in their eyes, to say their farewells. the zoo is in the suburb of muzha. the entrance is just outside the terminal stop on the muzha mrt line, 'taipei zoo'.
Children's Recreation Center
(http://english.taipei.gov...) is an amusement park located on zhongshan north road sec. 3, nearest mrt station is 'yuanshan' on danshui line. the center was created by city government in 1991. it has old-fashioned rides, folk art museum, imax theater and more. this place is great for younger kids.
Festivals & events
Taipei hosts numerous festivals throughout the year, but as many follow the lunar calendar the dates according to the Gregorian calendar are inconsistent. Unless you possess a lunar calendar, it is recommended you check the Taiwan Tourist Bureau's events section before planning to attend an event.
Golden Horse Chinese Language Film Festival
The Golden Horse Chinese Language Film Festival (http://www.goldenhorse.org.tw). This is often referred to as the Oscars of the Chinese film world, and while films in the awards section are all in Chinese, they have English subtitles and, there is also a large non-competition foreign language section.
The Lantern Festival
Is a dazzling display of lanterns and lasers which runs for several days around the fifteenth day of the lunar new year. while the main city event is held at the sun yat-san memorial hall and taipei city hall grounds, renai road perhaps offers the most elegant display, with the whole tree-lined boulevard transformed into a delicate tunnel of lights. pingxi in taipei county celebrates the festival with the release of huge lanterns that float serenely across the night sky, carrying with them the dedications and aspirations of those who release them.
Dragon Boat Festival
Commemorates the death of the chinese patriotic poet qu yuan born 340 bc, who drowned himself in a river out of despair that his beloved country, chu, was being plundered by a neighboring country as a result of betrayal by his own people. the festival is marked by races of colorful dragon boats held at various locations throughout the island, with one of the best places to view a race in the taipei area being the bitan river in xindian. special sticky rice balls called zongzi pronounced like "dzongdz" are also eaten on this day. the festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Taipei International Travel Fair
Taipei world trade center.
Taipei Film Festival
å°åé»å½±ç¯. (http://www.taipeiff.org.tw/). an international festival with two award sections â taipei award nominees and international new talent nominees. films are shown at several venues throughout the city.
Language
Mandarin Training Center
Mandarin Training Center (http://www.mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/). National Taiwan Normal University Shida, 162 Heping East Rd, sec. 1. Tel+886 2 2321-8457 & 2391-4248. Fax:886 2 2341-8431, e-mail: [email protected]. This school, which is part of Shi-da University, has seen generations of students passing through its doors and it remains one of the most popular schools in Taiwan for serious students of Mandarin.
International Chinese Language Program National Taiwan University
International Chinese Language Program National Taiwan University Taida (http://ccms.ntu.edu.tw/~iclp/). This program, which used to be called the IUP program, has a long history of Chinese language training, especially for advanced learners and primarily targeting graduate students, scholars and professionals studying in China and Taiwan. It has very small classes, very high quality instructors and textbooks, but may be considerably more expensive than the alternatives. Only students who expect a very intensive experience, usually with a year or more of time to dedicate to study, should consider this program.
Mandarin Daily News Language Center
Mandarin Daily News Language Center (http://www.mdnkids.com/learn/), more commonly known locally as Guo-Yu-Ri-Bau, 2F. 2 Fu-zhou Street. Tel:886 2 2391-5134 & 2392-1133 ext. 1004. Fax:886 2 2391-2008. Along with the Center for Chinese Language and Culture Studies, this is one of the most popular schools in Taiwan for serious students of Mandarin.
Maryknoll Language Service Center
Maryknoll Language Service Center (http://mkflanigan.homeste...) Rm. 800, 8 Fl., Chung Ying Bldg.2 Zhongshan North Rd., Sec. 1. Tel:+886 2 2314-1833~5. Conveniently located near a Taipei Station MRT stop exit, the Maryknoll Language Service Center offers Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Hakka classes. This is *the* place to study Taiwanese. Mostly one-on-one tutorials although you may be able to arrange a group class.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Unless you have a recommendation, the best way to find a good teacher is to visit a park at sunrise and check out the scene for yourself. If you spot a group that impresses you, approach one of the students and inquire about joining them. Most teachers will be happy to have a new student, though some old masters may 'play hard to get.' In the latter case, persistence is required. Most teachers will expect some sort of fee for their tuition. However, as it is considered impolite to directly ask the teacher this question, use a fellow student as mediator. Furthermore, when offering the money on the alloted day, place it in a red envelope hongbao - available at all convenience and stationary stores and slip it to the teacher subtly. Offering cash openly to a teacher of a traditional art or religion is considered undignified and demeaning. Most parks host tai'chi groups, but the most popular places are the grounds of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall nearest MRT station - CKS Memorial Hall and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall nearest MRT station - SYS Memorial Hall as well as 228 Peace Park formerly known as New Park - nearest MRT station - National Taiwan University Hospital.
Teaching English or to a lesser extent, other foreign languages is perhaps the easiest way to work in Taiwan. Work permits will be hard to come by and will take time. Consult your local Taiwan consulate/embassy/representative as far in advance as possible.
It should be noted that anyone staying in Taiwan for an extended period of time can FIND English teaching work, albeit technically illegally. If you are staying as a student or for some other long term purpose, it should be noted that many people are teaching English or some other language for pay without a permit in Taipei and elsewhere in Taiwan.
hot springs (溫æ³)
Hot springs come in various brands in Taipei, ranging from basic, to plush spas at five star hotels. The basic free 'rub and scrub' type public baths are run by the city. Most hotels offer the option of a large sex-segregated bathing area that generally consists of several large baths of various temperatures, jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath and also private and family rooms NB: the law in Taiwan states that for safety reasons, individuals are not allowed to bathe in the private rooms, and there must be at least two people. Some hotels also have outdoor baths é²å¤©æº«æ³, which offer restful views over the surrounding country-side. Prices range from around NT$300 to NT$800. Public hot spring etiquette requires that bathers thoroughly wash and rinse off their bodies before entering the bath, do not wear clothing, including swim wear though this is not the case for mixed-sex public areas in the bath and tie up their hair so that it does not touch the water. Finally, people with high blood pressure, heart disease or open wounds should not enter the baths.
There are three main places to have a soak in the Taipei area:
Beitou åæ
Wulai çä¾
Yangmingshan National Park é½æå±±
Elephant Mountain Hiking Trail
象山æ¥é - a short walk from taipei 101 in xinyi district. steep steps lead up into a shaded, forested hill overlooking the city. the entrance is poorly signposted. elephant mountain, about 200m high, is one of the four beasts mountains, and paths from here go up to higher peaks in nangang.
chinese cooking
Jodie's Kitchen Cooking School (http://kitchen.j321.com) offers Taiwanese and Chinese cooking classes. 2F, 29-1 Zi Yun St. Tel: +886 2 2720-0053
Many community colleges, such as Zhongzheng Community College (http://www.zzcc.tp.edu.tw/) and Tamsui Community University (http://university.tamsui....) offer weekly cooking courses. These include Chinese, Italian and Thai cooking, for example. The classes are in Chinese or Taiwanese language only. The prices are quite low because the colleges are government-funded.