The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is dedicated to whom? That’s like asking,“who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?”, a famous trick-question. It’s dedicated, of course, to the first president of the Republic of China, Mr. Chiang (October 31, 1887–April 5, 1975). Constructed in 1987, the site occupies more than 250,000 sq. meters. It’s a memorial unlike any you’ve ever seen—because of the varied activities that go on there, it’s more of an environment dedicated to life, fun, flags, weddings, celebrations and much more. It’s actually a huge walled park, also. It’s the most visited site in Taiwan by foreign tourists. Take our video tour first and you’ll know what to expect when you get there in person. Wait until you see the Lantern Festival!
Ever travelled to Taiwan? Then you know that some of the best deals in shopping can be found there, especially in electronics products and parts, software, comic books,entertainment CDs& DVDs, and even second-hand books. Just wait until you see the largest market in Taipei. And just wait until you see the antique and jade dealers located right next door—who needs the mall? Come to the“market under the bridge” before it expands to another location, and bring cash, or your credit card. Happy shopping!
Oh yeah, you might want to check to see how much stuff customs in your country allows you to bring back.
Ever attend abushiban? Well, if you had grown up in Taiwan, you were probably sent there by your parents. Oh, no!, you say, what is it? It’s sort of a school to go to… after school! You see, Taiwanese parents are very concerned that their children must grow up to be achieving adults, so—more school. Thesebushiban(or‘cram’ schools) teach almost anything—languages, social skills, music, or how to be a test-taking robot—and all from teenagers to even adults go to them. So come along to NanYang Street in Taipei—it’s literally crammed with‘cram’ schools. And the‘cram schools’ are crammed with pupils, many spending up to two-thirds of their day in classes. Like to just lay around the house, watching MTV? Forget about that! You’d better prepare well, if you want to compete with the Taiwanese.
Did you know that Taiwan is famous for being the“Kingdom of Butterflies”? There are at least 377 species of butterfly found on the island and they reside there year-round. Come along with Chris Downs on a video tour to look at as many types of butterflies as he can find. And, while you are looking, learn a little more about the life cycle of these most colorful and beautiful of earth’s creatures. They are almost everywhere you look in Taiwan.
If you take a little flour, a little water, and a little time in the kitchen, you can make some yummy foods like noodles, pizza or even a loaf of bread. Pretty good, but what if you add another ingredient? Like a big measure of imagination. Well, you might be surprised by the recipe for making a… doll? You see, dough modeling is a very old and still very popular Chinese folk art. Where do you find a“dough doll” in Taiwan? And how are they really made? You have to watch this video. You have never seen such a variety of doll characters anywhere, we guarantee. And the colors they can achieve with dough make the character dolls seem to come to life! And, much later, when you tire of your little doll? You can just eat it!
As the Chinese economy grows and more people travel to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, the study of the most commonly used language in the Far East, Mandarin Chinese, is becoming much more popular. In fact, teaching Mandarin Chinese to westerners and other foreigners is a booming business. And Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, has some of the most popular language training centers. It’s a beautiful city to visit, take the classes, practice the language, and learn about Chinese culture and history. You will likely find many students of your own age in the classes, so it will be easy to start up a conversation. Also, the Taiwanese are some of the most friendly and welcoming people anywhere. Come along with us on a tour of some classes. Let’s see how it all works, and learn whatpinyinreally means.
Have you ever been to a“hot springs” area? Taken a“hot springs” treatment? If not, it’s time to learn all about these miracle treatments given by Mother Earth. These mineral-rich gushes of hot water from somewhere below the earth’s surface come bubbling up in many places around the world. Taiwan happens to be one of the places that is rich in these healing waters. There are about 120 hot springs bubbling up in 15 of the 18 Taiwan counties. This video tour of some Taiwanese hot bathing pools may be just the cure you need for your daily aches, pains and stresses. Come along now, sink slowly into the warm water, breathe deeply… and just relax.
Religion is an important part of the lives of most Taiwanese, with Buddhism being the one most practiced. There are over 4,000 Buddhist temples, around 10,000 clergy and more than 5 million people who said they were Buddhists in a survey made by the Taiwan Department of the Interior. So let’s take a tour of the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. It’s beautiful, unusual, and as large as a college campus. Just looking around may make you feel more serene. It’s bit of heaven… on earth.
In this episode we go to the very“root” of Taiwan. Well, at least to the feet of the people. The foot is given a lot of attention in Taiwan. You will appreciate this if you have ever had“foot problems”. The Chinese believe that“man ages from his feet”, so it’s really important to take care of them… and you only get two to last a lifetime! Come walk along with Chris Downs as we explore all the ways the Taiwanese take care of their soles, uh, feet. How about a nice foot rub? They’ve got it down to a science. No, really.
The“beauty industry” and beauty-related enterprises are booming in Taiwan. Putting off the aging process, especially of the face, is as sought after here as anywhere around the world. One popular way to try doing that is to have a facial… or many facials. The technique they use is calledmanming“facial threading”—just wait‘til you see how they do it! A hint: it’s facial hair removal… with a twist. It will leave your face as smooth as a billiard ball. Then of course it’s recommended you buy an bag full of cosmetic products to look your very best. And there are shops from high-end luxury stores to night-time street stalls to serve up a variety of the pretty-making potions.
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