The first stop on your Taipei half-day tour is the world-famous National Palace Museum, which is also one of the world’s largest museums. With a collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, the museum showcases 8,000 years of Chinese art history spanning multiple dynasties. Two of the most famous artworks on display are “the Jadeite Cabbage” and “the Meat-Shaped Stone”, which are the must-sees in National Palace Museum.

The next stop is Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, an impressive monument in memory of the late president of the Republic of China, Chang Kai-shek. To reach the main hall, you need to climb up 89 steps, which represent Chang Kai-Shek’s age when he died. Here the changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour on the hour from 09:00 in the main hall.

In addition to the majestic main hall of the memorial, the exquisite Chinese garden around the building and the vast plaza are also worth visiting. If you come here in the early morning, you can see some people practicing Qigong there.

Our tour continues with a visit to Longshan Temple, where the local people pray for good luck or find inner peace. Here you will learn about Taiwan’s religious belief and practices. The temple was built in 1738 and dedicated to Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy). The temple was severely damaged during Taipei Air Raid, but the statue of Guanyin survived the raid. Besides the Goddess of Mercy, the temple devotes Yue Lao (the Matchmaker God), Wenchang Dijun (the God of Literature), Songzi Niangniang (the maiden who brings children) and many more. You can pray for yourself and your family, and even try asking the gods for advice by tossing divination blocks.

On the way back to our meeting point, you can choose to be dropped off at Ximending.