Taipei

Taipei City (Chinese: 台北市, pinyin: Táibĕi Shì, tai: Tâi-pak) is the provisional capital of the Republic of China and the largest city in Taiwan. Its population in 2000 is 2,600,543. Major industries include electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, metals, ship-building, and motorcycles.

Taipei City is a special municipality administered directly under the central government. It is not part of but surrounded entirely by Taipei County, which is administered as part of Taiwan Province.

Table of contents

1 Subdivisions
2 History
3 Politics
4 Sister Cities
5 Festivities in Taipei
6 Education
7 Transportation
8 Attractions
9 Pronunciation note
10 See also
11 External links

Subdivisions

Taipei administers twelve districts (區):

Hanyu Pinyin Hanzi Wade-Giles Tongyong Pinyin
Sōngshān; 松山區 Sung-shan Songshan
Xìnyì 信義區 Hsin-yi Sinyi
Dàān; 大安區 Ta-an Da-an
Zhōngshān; 中山區 Chung-shan Jhongshan
Zhōngzhèng; 中正區 Chung-cheng Jhongjheng
Dàtóng 大同區 Ta-t'ung Datong
Wànhuá 萬華區 Wan-hua Wanhua
Wénshān; 文山區 Wen-shan Wunshan
Nángǎng; 南港區 Nan-kang Nangang
Nèihú 內湖區 Nei-hu Neihu
Shìlín 士林區 Shih-lin Shihlin
Běitóu; 北投區 Pei-t'ou Beitou

History

Founded in the 18th century, Taipei began development only after 1885, when it replaced Tainan as the capital of the Chinese province of Taiwan. Much of the architecture of Taipei dates from the period of Japanese rule (during which the city was known in Japanese as Taihoku) including the Presidential Palace which was the former mansion of the Japanese governor and which faces Tokyo.

In 1949, the Communists forced the Kuomintang government under Chiang Kai-shek to flee mainland China and establish Taipei as provisional capital of the ROC (Nanjing remains to this date the "official" capital). Taipei was also the capital of Taiwan Province until the 1960s when that was moved to Jhongsing Village.

From 1875 (during the Qing Dynasty) until the end Japanese Occupation in 1945, Taipei was part of Danshui District (淡水縣) of Taipei Prefecture (府). As approved on December 30, 1966 by the Executive Yuan, Taipei became a centrally administered municipality on July 1, 1967.

Politics

The current mayor of Taipei is the Kuomintang's Ma Ying-jeou. The office of mayor of Taipei is seen as a stepping stone to higher office, both the current and previous Presidents Chen Shui-bian and Lee Teng-hui were mayors of Taipei. Until 1994, the mayor of Taipei was an appointed position, but since then it has been elected.

Taipei city has a higher proportion of Mainlanders than average in Taiwan. This and the fact that the city is highly dependent on commerce and finance which would be disrupted in case of conflict with the People's Republic of China means that the city is more favorable to Chinese reunification than other areas of Taiwan. Indeed, it was the fact that Chen Shui-bian was able to win the mayorship in 1994, despite this tendency that made him the obvious DPP candidate for President in 2000.

Sister Cities

Festivities in Taipei

There are many yearly Taiwanese festivals that commonly are held in Taipei including the Lantern Festival and Double Tenth Day. A common location for festivities in Taipei is the square in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Recently, some of the major festivals normally held in Taipei (specifically, the Double Tenth Day fireworks) have been moved to Kaohsiung on the southern coast, even if only temporarily.

Education

Taipei has at least seven universities:

Chinese Culture University

Transportation

Taipei's public transport system uses both a light rail system based on VAL technology (known as TRTS) and a conventional metro. Unlike most trains in Taiwan which following Japanese practice, have trains running on the left, the Taipei public transport system, having been built by a French company, have trains running on the right.

Nearby Taoyuan hosts Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, which serves Taipei for international flights. There is also Sungshan Domestic Airport in the heart of the city.

There is an extensive city bus system running throughout the city for areas not covered by the TRTS system. Some buses require payment per passenger at pick up time, and others at drop off time. Users of the city TRTS system are able to use their TRTS passes on buses for discounted rates, making the bus system effectively an extension of the TRTS system.

Taxis are abundant and relatively affordable. It is well-known in the city that taxi cab drivers are very aggressive and fast. It is considered by some a harrowing experience to take a taxi, but after some time, you grow accustomed to it.

Attractions

Taipei 101 is a new financial center in Taipei. By some measures it is considered the world's tallest building.
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.
National Palace Museum
Longshan Temple
Shilin Night Market

Pronunciation note

The spelling Taipei derives from the Wade-Giles romanization T'ai-pei, in which "p" is pronounced more like an English "b". Thus "Taipei" should accurately be pronounced like the English words Tie-Bay, rather than Tie-Pay, its common English pronunciation.

The PRC's Hanyu Pinyin and Taiwan's newer Tongyong Pinyin systems reflect this pronunciation, romanizing Taipei as Taibei, a spelling which is closer to the actual English pronunciation, although much less commonly seen.

External links

Administrative divisions of the Republic of China

Province level:

Provinces: Fujian Province | Taiwan Province Municipalities: Kaohsiung City | Taipei City

County level: