Cruising in the Far East with Holland America Line: Taiwan from Top to Bottom

Special by Dennis Cox

ABOARD the WESTERDAM – The Westerdam’s arrival at the northern Taiwan port of Keelung witnessed an unexpected welcoming event when two harbor tugs shadowing the ship became floating fountains blasting arcs of water into the rays of the early morning sun.

While in port for nearly two days, there will be time to explore the neighboring capital city of Taipei with all its world-famous architectural and cultural landmarks as well as Keelung’s lesser-known sites.

Eighteen miles from the capital, Keelung is the largest seaport in Taiwan next to Kaohsiung. Known for its sheltered harbor, vibrant market, and plenty of other activities within minutes of the pier accessible on foot, it is an attractive destination in itself. Pictures of the main sights are displayed on a board at the exit of the parking lot and wi-fi coverage on the wharf areas is free.

Near the waterfront, the Miaokou Night Market’s food stalls offering traditional snacks and seafood are certain to attract Westerdam passengers for the evening. There are also several forts that encircle the area including hilltop Ershawan Fort, with cannons and a Chinese-style gate, as well as Gongzi Liao Fort and Dawulun Fort offering views over the harbor and ocean for viewing.

Taipei is also known for its lively street-food scene, many night markets, and busy shopping streets. It also has become known for it’s modern buildings. Protruding abruptly from the city’s skyline is the 509-meter high Taipei 101 skyscraper in the shape of bamboo that serves as locator of directions from around the metropolitan area of 7 million people.

Passengers on the ship’s excursions as well as independent passengers certainly won’t want to miss Taipei’s significant sites. Jialin and I opt to go independently as we want to spend more time photographing at several locations. The city is easy to reach from Keelung by train for 41 New Taiwanese Dollars (US$1.37) and from the central train station, easy to navigate with a modern metro system (MTR) and inexpensive taxis. An all-day MTR pass that includes Taipei’s trains and buses costs 180 NTD (US$6) which, as it turned out didn’t save any money, but was very convenient for zipping through turnstiles and avoiding ticket lines.

Our first stop of the day was the memorial for Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China in 1911, who is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait as a “pioneer of the Chinese Revolution.” A large wall of gold calligraphy inside the memorial reproduces the constitution of the Republic written by Dr. Sun. Above it on the ceiling, the symbol of Dr. Sun’s Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) that appears on the Republic of China flag is creatively displayed. Two guards from the three armed forces, on duty in the memorial, are ceremonially changed every hour on the hour.

Next, we headed to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — a regal monument paying to tribute to Dr. Suns’ successor. With its brilliant
blue glazed-tile roof, gold apex, white marble, and natural red cypress ceiling, the shrine is designed to convey sacredness, solemnity,
hospitality and peace. The ceremonial entrance gate and sweep toward the steps leading up to the hall resembles in many ways the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial in Nanjing, China, the nationalist capital prior to the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949.

The square between the entrance gate and Chiang’s memorial hall is flanked by the imposing National Theater and Opera Theater with red facades and golden roofs in the architectural style of imperial China.

When Chiang Kai-shek and his KMT Party fled China following their defeat in 1949 in a civil war with the Communist Party of China, they carried with them more than 600,000 items from the Imperial Palace in Beijing. These treasure are now housed in Taipei at the National Palace Museum. It is one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese objects and art in the world, spanning more than 8,000 years. The impressive collection includes bronze, paintings, jade, ceramics, and precious objects amassed by ancient emperors and more from the Sung, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Only small portions of the treasures are on display at any one time, although themed exhibitions of the artifacts change regularly.

Our final visit was to the five-star Grand Hotel, built in 1952 in the style of classic Chinese architecture. Visiting dignitaries who are usually lodged at the Grand Hotel in palatial comfort have included American Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.

Culinary aficionados may want to seek out the Din Tai Fung in Taipei. The only four-time Michelin restaurant in Taiwan, it has deservedly earned the title “the worlds best.” Originally founded as a cooking oil retail shop in 1958, Din Tai Fung was transformed into a restaurant in 1972 with a focus on high quality food, locally sourced ingredients and exceptional service. Din Tai Fung makes their soup dumplings with 18 precise folds, which you can watch being made through a window to the kitchen while you dine.

Southern Taiwan’s massive port city of Kaohsiung is known as Taiwan’s maritime capital. It is home to many tall buildings, such as the 248-meter tall Tuntex Sky Tower, and is known for its diversity of parks, and shopping, such as the Liuhe and Ruifeng night markets. The focal point of Kaohsiung is the Love River, with walking paths and cafes along its banks, and cruise boats navigating its waters.

A popular Holland America excursion in Kaohsiung will visit a couple of Buddhist sites and a Taoist Shrine. It includes the Fokuangshan Monastery, a complex of meditation halls, shrines and, gardens founded in 1967 to “reconcile the various schools of Chinese Buddhism,” and
Buddha Memorial Center, covering 247 acres, opened in 2011 to promote cultural and religious education.

Another excursion, which Jialin and I opted to take since the Fokuangsha was filled, was titled “Highlights of Kaohsiung and Tainan.” First stop of this tour in Tainan, the cultural capital of Taiwan, was the Tainan Confucius Temple, also called the Scholarly Temple. It was built in 1665 as a place for instructors to lecture and cultivate intellectuals. It is now a forlorn ghost of its previous self. As Confucius temples go, this one is the least interesting I’ve seen anywhere in China or Southeast Asia.

The next site, remains of Fort Provintia, was built by the Dutch in 1653, and the remains of Chihkan Tower, was constructed in the Qing dynasty. The tower’s history included use as a Western Castle under Dutch rule, a Chinese-style pagoda in the Qing dynasty, an army hospital during Japanese rule, and now as a museum. It is designated a Class-1 historic site by the Taiwan Ministry of the Interior. A statue on the site commemorates the Dutch surrendering with Koxinga (Zheng Chengong), the Chinese hero who rid Taiwan of Dutch occupation.

Koxinga is also commemorated by a shrine and museum, which we visited next. A statue in the garden of Koxinga on horseback standing seven meters tall is carved from white granite from Quanzhou, China.

For a view of what must surely be Taiwan’s biggest exercise in kitsch, a stop was made to photograph the pagodas, pavilions, and temples at Lotus Lake. Garish or colorfully playful, depending upon taste and sense of humor, the faux Chinese architecture and classical figures of Chinese mythology are admittedly quite photogenic. Especially popular is the twin Dragon and Tiger pagodas where going in the dragon’s mouth and coming out of the tiger’s is considered to bring good luck.

Finally, a very quick stop was made to see Kaohsiung National Stadium, built in 2009 for the World Games. The dragon-shaped stadium, designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, features extensive use of recycled materials and is powered by solar panels affixed to its top.

Photos © Dennis Cox / WorldViews, All Rights Reserved