Taipei

I

Introduction

Taipei or T’ai-pei, also Taibei, temporary capital of the government on Taiwan and the island's largest city, located on the western bank of the Tanshui River at the northern end of Taiwan Island. Taipei, which means “northern terrace” in Chinese, is the political, economic, cultural, and transportation center of Taiwan. The city owes its prominence and growth to its designation as an administrative capital in 1894, a role that was enlarged in 1949 when the Kuomintang lost the Chinese civil war against the Communists and retreated to Taiwan.

Taipei has a humid subtropical climate, with warm summers and mild winters. Rainy precipitation occurs year round, though rainfall is greatest from October to March when the northeast monsoon prevails. Typhoons, sometimes quite destructive, are common from June to October.

II

Taipei and Its Metropolitan Area

Taipei covers a total area of 275 sq km (106 sq mi). East and west of the central railroad station is an old central business district, and north and south of this area lie the old major commercial neighborhoods of Tataochen and Mengchia. Major industrial zones are located in the north of Tataochen and the south and west of Mengchia. Southeast of the central business district is the main administrative area, where the Presidential Building, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other central government buildings are located. Also here is the National Central Library, which lies across from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. East of this administrative district are two industrial zones, divided by a small commercial area.

Several new commercial districts were established north and east of old Taipei. The Hsinyi area in the east is a commercial center containing major new businesses as well as cultural and administrative institutions, including the Taipei City Hall, the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and the Taipei World Trade Center. It also includes the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Taipei 101 building, also known as the Taipei Financial Center. The uppermost and final spire segment on the 101-story building was completed in 2003, bringing it to a height of 509 m (1,671 ft). Farther east lies a major industrial area at Nankang. Other newly developed commercial districts include Neihu in the northeast, Shihlin in the north, and Mucha in the southeast. Sanch’ung, located to the west across the Tanshui River, and Hsintien, located to the south across the Hsintien River, are separate cities within Taipei County and are considered part of the larger Taipei metropolitan region.

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Residential areas, often of high density, are located amid and around the commercial areas. Housing in Taipei is mostly comprised of traditional shop-houses and newer high-rise apartments. The average amount of housing space per person is only about 13 sq m (about 140 sq ft). Taipei’s limited amount of housing space has escalated real estate costs, though most people own their homes. To relieve the city’s housing shortage, which is particularly problematic for low-income residents, the Taipei municipal government has built public housing complexes and initiated urban renewal projects since the 1960s. Despite this effort, squatter housing still remains in some parts of the city.

III

Population

The population of Taipei city was estimated to be 2,627,138 in 2004. For most of the 20th century, the city experienced rapid population growth. Since 1970, however, this trend has slowed because Taipei’s birthrate has declined and fewer people are migrating to the city. Instead, more people are choosing to settle in newly developed suburban areas to avoid the traffic congestion and expensive housing of Taipei city. Foreigners, including Southeast Asians, Japanese, Americans, Koreans, and Indians, account for less than 1 percent of Taipei’s total population. The majority of Taipei residents are Han Chinese who speak Mandarin, Taiwan’s official language.

IV

Education and Culture

Taipei offers both traditional and modern cultural activities and institutions. There are many museums, libraries, and universities. Most notable is the National Palace Museum containing major art collections moved from Beijing, Nanjing, and other locations when the Kuomintang (KMT) left mainland China to escape the Communists in 1949. In addition, the Taiwan Provincial Museum and the National Museum of History contain art collections dating back more than 3000 years. Among important cultural events is the birthday celebration of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, held annually on September 28 at the Confucius Temple. Popular social gathering places are movie theaters, night clubs, discos, wine houses, and tea shops.

Taipei has several major universities. These include National Taiwan University, founded by Japanese colonialists in 1928, the National Taiwan Normal University (1946), the National Chengchi University (1927), Soochow University (1900), and Tamkang University (1950). Among Taipei’s important libraries are the National Central Library (1943) and the Taiwan Branch Library (1915). Taipei’s oldest temple is Lungshan (Chinese for Dragon Mountain), originally constructed in the 18th century. The temple has undergone several restorations as a result of earthquake and typhoon damage in the 19th century, and bombing in 1945 during World War II.