Explore Taipei and around
Bounded by Fuxing Road in the east and maple-lined Zhongshan Road in the west, one of the city’s more pleasant thoroughfares, Zhongshan (中山; zhōngshān) is a lively modern district covering much of the northern part of central Taipei. Though there’s plenty to see, especially in its northern half, Zhongshan is primarily a collection of residential neighbourhoods, shopping streets and offices with no discernible centre, its sights spread out and often best combined with attractions in other areas; Taipei’s excellent Fine Arts Museum is close to Yuanshan MRT station and the temples in Dalongtong, while the Su Ho Memorial Paper Culture Foundation lies much further south, best approached from Songjiang Nanjing MRT Station.
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Sun Yat-sen: father of the nation?
Sun Yat-sen: father of the nation?
Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) made just three brief visits to Taiwan: in 1900, 1913 (for a day) and 1918 (when he was turned away at Keelung harbour). Despite growing apathy among younger generations, he is still officially regarded as the father of modern China on both sides of the Taiwan Strait; every town in Taiwan (and China) has a “Zhongshan” Road or building, recalling Sun’s preferred Chinese name, and his mausoleum in Nanjing is a pilgrimage site for all Chinese. Sun’s popularity stems from his crucial role in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911, and the formation of the Republic of China. He was also one of the founders of the Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist party in 1912. In Taiwan, many pro-independence politicians object to his title as “founding father” (used in school textbooks) for the obvious reason that he had little to do with the island, but while Taiwan remains the “Republic of China” they have little hope of changing his formal status.
