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Taipei, Taiwan

Edi McFerrin
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In 1884 the governor of Taiwan decided to move the provincial capital to Taipei, and with the construction of government offices and the influx of civil servants, Taipei's days as a sleepy market town were over. As Taipei is located in the north of Taiwan (the closest area to Japan), the city continued to thrive when Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895. However, as Japan was in the throes of a 'modernize-come-what-may' period, little regard was paid to Taipei's traditional Chinese-style architecture and many of the old buildings, including the city walls, were demolished. During the Japanese period of colonial rule, several prominent buildings were however constructed, the Presidential Palace and National Taiwan University being among the most famous, but the city's architecture again suffered a major onslaught when the KMT government arrived in 1945. In order to cope with the influx of millions of immigrants, temporary housing estates sprang up all around the city. Later, these were replaced by soviet-era style (or I should say, 'no-style') concrete apartment buildings. These buildings characterized Taipei's landscape until very recently. In the 1980s, Taiwan's economy began to take off. Wages rose and in order to satisfy a wealthy and sophisticated market, Taipei began to change. Wide, tree lined boulevards were laid, high quality apartment blocks constructed and stylish restaurants and cafes established. The city was booming and has never looked back since. The Taipei of today is a confident city of about 2,500,000 (about 7,000,000, with suburbs) inhabitants, and is characterized by its friendly people and safe streets. While it is not usually high on the list of tourist cities, it is a fascinating place to visit and live. Furthermore, despite its size, Taipei does not have any rough areas that are considered unsafe, even at night - which in itself is attractive. In general, West Taipei, with its narrow streets and road side vendors, is considered the bastion of old Taipei life. Whereas East Taipei, with its classy malls, chic boutiques, and stylish restaurants and cafes, reminiscent of those found in London, Paris or New York, represents the city's metamorphosis as a modern and international city.