Discover the amazing Zhongshan district in 4 steps

As the center of the city’s tourist industry and one of the centers of international business it’s easy to say that this district has its general and administrative importance. It’s covered with large hotels and international restaurants and is one of the main centers of art and culture. You can say it’s an area of daytime recreation and evening entertainment. Also, this area is named for Chiang Kai-shek, known in Chinese as Sun Zhongshan, founder of Taiwan or the Republic of China. 

In this article I”ll work through some of the best places of this amazing district to give you an idea what to expect if you’re planning to move or travel here!

The topics we will be going over:

• How to get around
• Historical sights and tourism
• Where to eat
• Nightlife

How to get around

There are a few options for public transport in Zhongshan, but most recommendable use the MRT. In this district the red and green line go through and let you get everywhere. For other ways of transportation you can still make use of the public buses and if needed taxi’s, of course depending on your needs.

Historical sights and tourism

The Grand Hotel

Although the increase in other attractions may have led to less importance of the place, this Beijing style palace still attracts thousands of tourists. The tea rooms on the first floor are a good place to relax and absorb the grandeur of dynastic China. The hills behind the Hotel offer a variety of natural spots to explore, including an abandoned military anti-aircraft base.

National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine

Built on Chingshan Mountain and overseeing the Keelung River, the Martyrs Shrine recalls the architecture of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The shrine houses the spirit tablets of about 390,000 people killed during the Xinhai Revolution, Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War, and the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises.

Xingtian Temple

Xingtian Temple is the most-visited temple in northern Taiwan, attracting upwards of 10,000 people a day. The reasons for its popularity are due to its location and to its beliefs in creating a harmonic society, thus establishing public goods to the communities. Other than that, the temple is also highly famous for its “Fortunetelling Street”, situated in a passage under the temple.

Museums

There are various museum in this center of art and culture, namely the Museum of fine arts Taipei, the Lin An Tai historical house and museum, the Museum of jade art, the Miniatures museum of Taiwan and the Suho memorial paper museum.

The Miniatures Museum of Taipei features fantastically detailed miniature models of a wide variety of global destinations and popular scenes from history and fairy tales. These have been painstakingly handmade by skilled craftsmen and are just a joy to look at.

The Lin An Tai historical house and museum is the most intact example of historical architecture in Taipei. There are some exquisite details to admire and more than 30 rooms to explore and visitors can learn about how wealthy locals lived 200 years ago. 

The Museum of Jade Art is the first museum in the world devoted to jade art culture. The museum is itself is a work of art, conceived by a well-known designer to delight in spaces both large and small and bring the public up close to the beautiful world of jade art.

Recreational Areas

This district of art and culture also offers a great deal of natural parks and recreational areas in general. A few good examples for that are Rongxing Garden Park, Xinsheng Park, Yingfeng Riverside Park, Meiti Riverside Park, Zhongshan Fine Arts Park, Dajia Riverside Park and Taipei Municipal Children’s Recreation Area.

Where to eat

As the tourism hot spot of Taipei it’s not too difficult to guess that there are enormous amounts of eating opportunities around the whole district, especially international ones.

Zhongshan MRT station

There are over twenty different kind of eating facilities at this MRT station. From Japanese, over Chinese and Italian to Bakeries, Cafes and Pastry Houses, you’ll find everything there. On the linked site you’ll find some more information and recommendations to the wide spread offers there.

Miramar Shopping Mall

As the famous Shopping Mall having the Miramar Ferris Wheel located there, this mall attracts a lot of tourists. There are numerous boutique and designer label stores, an IMAX theater and fine dining restaurants in the mall. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it there.

MAJI Square

Maji Square is a lifestyle market with something for everyone. It is located near Expo park, which advertises itself as a playground for kids and adults alike. Multi-cuisine restaurants, a creative goods market, a specialty grocery store, a street food fair all clustered under an open-air roof. 

Shuancheng Street Night Market

Unlike some other night markets in Taipei, Shauncheng Street Night Market is a place where many residents go for dinner, so you will get the opportunity to really immerse yourself in the food culture of the neighborhood. You can find authentic Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and even European food. The offerings are affordable and the flavors are really good.

Nightlife

As part of the heart of Taipei, not even nightlife comes too short, it doesn’t matter if you’re looking for clubs, bars, movie theaters or event locations, you’ll have the agony of choice. Still, the main places for party are MAJI Square and the infamous “Combat Zone”, which is not only popular for pubs and clubs, but also for so called “hostess bars”.

MAJI Square

MAJI Square is not only good for food, but it’s also a location for large events and festivals. Plus, it’s accommodating a craft beer bar and a nightclub. Bars like The Three Lions Inn, an English-style pub with beer garden and the Crafted Craft beer bar are all within walking distance. Next to these is the popular nightclub Triangle, which is a warehouse-style music venue with a grungy, alternative vibe and a mixed crowd of locals and foreigners.

Green Door

This bar is over 40 years old, which makes it nearly ancient, and is also one of the remaining bars of the legendary “combat zone”. The combat zone was the area, where the in Taiwan stationed American soldiers during the Vietnam war amused themselves, which gives the zone also its western flair. The looks and feels are those from a western bar, but surprisingly it attracts a lot of locals.

MUD Taipei

This bar is located in the basement of the Amba Hotel and is not the typical hotel bar. The decoration is vintage and very cozy, giving it that Speakeasy vibe that you don’t see too much of in Taipei. They have an incredible range of drinks and a cocktail list, which is quite impressive. There’s live music on from time to time, and a DJ spinning some tunes on weekends.

The Daft House

The Daft House is a small bar with amazing staff who do their best to make sure you’re having a good night out. They have a pretty impressive range of imported beers, and the staff are quite good at mixing up some cocktails. Interestingly, the sign also states that they are a bike shop and they have some cool looking old bike parts on the walls.

Who is going to like living in Zhongshan

Zhongshan District is most suitable for people enjoying history, art and culture. There are a lot of cinemas around and being near the MAJI Square and Triangle gives you the chance to be right next to open air events. Plus there are a lot of international settlements from companies, which can sound attractive. The MRT and Bus connection is also great, makes it a good area to live, if you like the busy city centers.

If you’re looking for a room, we also offer rooms for rent all around Taipei. Maybe we have a room free in Zhongshan district in case you’re interested in moving to this district!

Sources

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