TAIPEI Summer 2017 Vol.8

Taipei’s Summer Glory on Display!

In August, summery Taipei will host the highest-level international sports event ever seen in Taiwan–the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade. Over 150 countries will gather at this grand event, and over 7,000 students will participate in different sports. The venues will encompass 5 urban areas: Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City. This exciting 12-day sports fest is just around the corner!

Taipei City’s dynamic tourism is in bloom everywhere! In 2016, the City signed a memorandum with Ehime Ken, Japan to promote mutual friendly relations and cooperation. The two cities are now promoting bicycling as a way of exchanging cross-cultural ties. Also, in 2016, Taipei became sister city to the capital of Ecuador, Quito, and hopes to learn much from that city's multi-cultural charm. In order to promote Taiwan in Southeast Asia, Taipei and has identified five “Reasons Why Everyone Should Visit Taipei” and established three themed routes, including “Fashion Shopping” shopping route, “Old Town, New Experience,” about enjoying the good old days, and “Live Slow, Travel Light,” which focuses on scenery. With so many travel choices available, we hope the people of the world will put Taipei on their itinerary.

After a steamy hot summer day, walking around a park with its cool night breezes will seem an appealing idea, and you may encounter twinkling lights on your perambulation past some dark wet spot. After a long journey of restoration, fireflies have now reappeared at the foot of Xianjiyan, and Taipei City has decided to reinvent itself as a “City of Fireflies.” It will do this by restoring the insects in three areas where they thrived in the past: Rongxing Garden Park, Muzha Park and Daan Park. The hope is that these little twinklers, forced into suburban areas for decades, will come back to Taipei City.

The new Taipei is stunning, and the old Taipei makes you want to linger in the good old days. The southern part of the North Gate neighborhood, which includes Zhonghua Road, Bo’ai Road, Kaifong Street, Hankou Street, and Yanping South Road was once the stomping ground for stores selling sound systems, photographic equipment and other electronic gear – a paradise for AV aficionados. This neighborhood overflows with memories of the good old days! What’s more, Taipei’s only preserved old train station, Xinbeitou Station has returned, with repair and assembly work just completed in March. This is a typical Japanese wooden structure and features engraved brackets under the eaves and dormers on the roof. Journey through time and space to relive the glory of Taiwan’s special old station!

You won’t want to miss the year’s most anticipated arts banquet either! Three summertime creative feasts, including Taipei Children’s Arts Festival, Taipei Arts Festival and the Taipei Fringe Festival will showcase the marvelous talents of Taiwanese and international artists, enriching this city and providing engrossing experiences for all ages.

Are you ready to embrace this marvelous summer of 2017 in Taipei? The City is waiting for you!

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