Experiencing Taiwan 2010 - Day 9

Day 9 - Main activity area: Taipei City + Xi Men Ding + CYCU Night Market

It was still drizzling outside. What a :'(. We have waited so long until today yet, it still rain. Perhaps my daimoku is not enough. I woke up and chanted for 20mins hoping it would cease soon. Tiong was sicked, hence Faiz was there standby for him. As planned, we met with CYCU students at landscape architecture department. We walked to a nearby cafe for breakfast. The local familiarise it with the term "早餐店". Variety of sandwiches + Drinks. I ordered myself a ham sandwish + local brew milktea 奶茶.

The weather was too discouraging for us to travel to Damshui, so we had planned and reallocate the visit to Damshui tommorrow. Today, we would be visiting National Taiwan University 台湾国立大学 and Xi Men Ding area. Knowing Carson Yap and Vui Hon studying there, I sms-ed them to see whether we had a session to meet up each other. Vui Hon was having class and Carson was at clinical laboratory. They asked me to text them once reached there. So after reaching there NTU, we walked ourselves into the campus area. It is simply huge. The buildings are built in the Japanese colonial era.

The security entrance stand before NTU

This is a little bit of the history of NTU . Let's learn together:

National Taiwan University is at first established as Taihoku Imperial University 台北帝國大學 founded by Taiwan's Japanese colonial government in the year of 1928 as a member of the imperial university system fully administered by the Empire of Japan during the reign of Hirohito 裕仁, also known as Emperor Shōwa 昭和天皇.

The axis leading towards the library

One of the building structure built since the Japanese Colonial era

Coursemates are posing: From left Kimmy, Hui Hui and Leong Wei

The school's first president was Hiroshi Shidehara. The Taihoku Imperial University began with a College of Liberal Arts and Law and a College of Science and Agriculture serving 60 students. The university was intended mainly for Japanese nationals, only few Taiwanese students were admitted. The College of Medicine and the College of Engineering were added in respectively on 1936 and 1943. After World War II the incoming Republic of China government reorganized the school as an institution for Chinese-speaking students. The school was renamed the National Taiwan University on 15 November 1945 and Lo Tsung-lo was appointed as its president.

I wonder are the trees stood in front are of the same age as the buildings

You will get this view while turning backwards

Arch elements dominated the whole of this building

Up to today, the National Taiwan University serves nearly 30,000 students through 11 colleges, 54 departments, and 96 graduate institutes. It offers 96 master's programs and 83 doctoral programs. A new library, built in 1998, now contains over 3 million volumes. In 2010, the university is scheduled to merge with the National Taipei University of Education, the city's oldest institution of higher learning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Original document from Wiki, editted by Ron.

While walking through the campus area, there is an axis which divides the buildings to both of its sides. I wonder what is the building at the tip of the axis, it should be quite a vital building for the Japanese during their colonial era. Should be something like administration centre or the place of residence for the Japanese military leader, etc.

Buildings lined up at the sides are majestically built, it speaks out the same language as the Nazis Architecture, it sounds "Bow to the imperial Japanese government, and we will bring you advancement and prosperity"

On the other way round, the Japanese colonial government treated the local Taiwanese not as harsh as the Chinese at mainland China. Chinese descendants like the Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese were humiliated and treated inhumane. Killed + Raped, Raped after killed, Killed after raped, etc. Ridiculous! Anyway, what happened was happened, yet the Japanese goverment is excluding the fact that they had invaded other countries in their History Textbook which mislead and misdirect the younger generations. Back to NTU visit.

Composition of a photograph: Hardscape VS Softscape

Arched corridor with tiled flooring

Arched walkway giving a sense of grandeur while approaching the building

Everyone has a bike to cycle with. Within the campus area, it's common to see bikes cyclying everywhere just like the big cities in China. Walked and walked, I explored the area from the beginning to the end of the "main axis" and the buildings lined besides. Finally, I came to the newly built Library Resource Centre. It is a piece of grandier architecture firmed with collumnated corridors. Once entered, I wasn't brave enough to pass through the entrance with the scanning pier - Sounds like only the local students have access into the library. :(

A peep at the clock tower

I wonder how was the construction of this concrete roof slab

Precast or cast in-situ?

Thoughts for a proper allocation for their bikes

An arched decorated opening, very much of the Japanese styled building

Look at the spatial quality of the interior space,

the arches are designed even from within

Details of the arches

A small gesture of arched opening

 while approaching the building

Green "invading" the building's facade,

camouflage it with the surrounding

This is a place for them to wait for shuttle bus I supposed

A well-thought shaded space and friendly approach of material selection

The rear of the library building

A photo of Vui Hon and I worth a memory of the visit to NTU

I called up Vui Hon and met up with him at the Uni's Student Activity Centre 学生活动中心. Since the time allocated was quite short, hence I happened to only have a drink and chatted awhile. Entering the canteen, there are varieties of food. Seems "seducing" my appetite. haha... We talked about the study environment at Taiwan, the local people, and the ruling goverment there. I am happy he looks bigger in size than the then days we were in Kian Kok Middle School. Simply, I felt unspoken happy and excited to meet a friend of mine at this foreign land. A simple meeting speaks a thousand words of caring and mutual understanding. We took a photo before leaving NTU. I hopped on to his Bike, quite dangerous though haha... We bid farewell at the entrance of NTU. Farewell my dear friend. :)

Omg! One of my favourite dish for plain rice~

Pork with slight fat cooked with salted vege

Hence, after meeting with the group. We walked across a underpassage way to cross to other side of the busy road. Wang Yan introduced us saying that the place we were going is famous with its local delicacies. For that lunch, I joined Kah Chuan, Jiunn Hao, Daniel, Jing Mei to tour around that area. I stopped by at a stall selling White Bun filled with steaming hot Pork and Salted Vege 馒头梅菜猪肉馅，好吃极了！Yet, this was just my side dish! haha... We went into a small restaurant and dined in there... Not frightenedly, again~ I ordered myself a bowl of Dry Beef Noodle 干捞牛肉面... This time around is not that tasty as those I ate before. We talked for awhile after lunch. Then off we went to meet them up~ I bought myself a cup of Milk Tea 青蛙奶茶, a very fomous drink located at the corner of a valley facing the busy road (opposite is NTU). This could give you a sense of direction. :) See, a free promotion for good food around that area.  

Look at how big it was! The table is only 3ft wide :P

One of the Japanese company corporate's building - 星光三月

Lit up at night and disappear at the top,
architecture is also about playing with lighting effect

Bunch of us went back home~ Exhaustedly yet FUN!

Then we walked by the streets and came across the Museum of Natural Water 自来水博物馆, it seemed most of them didnt want to visit the museum, to them it seemed a waste because we have to pay for around NTD 50 for entrance ticket. I found it quite interesting yet majority disagree to visit. :'( We had to continue our journey and headed to Xi Men Ding 西门町, Wang Yan told me this is the place where all the local youngsters hang out at, a shopping heaven for the ladies also for the men. Nowadays, "make-up", "mask"... ... do not belongs to girls and women anymore. The boys and men are "invading" into the vast cosmetic market. This is good I think, people started to take care of their appearance, but remember people: The inner part of one is much more important than what is shown externally. Believe me, because I was betrayed before... Not to talk much about this...

Once we stepped on at the junction at Xi Men Ding, it was really like stepping on the ground of any big metropolis of Tokyo, those of Japan. With all the billboards, advertisement boards sticked out. It seems that the further it goes towards the streets, the heigher capability of winning the others. The shopping atmosphere there is really I would say quite extreme (maybe to me because I dont really shop, I mean how you defined it?). To me such setting, such environment is quite "chaotic". We were asked to move around our own and would be coming back to gather at the junction where we came by.

I joined Daniel, Kah Chuan, Jiunn Hao and Jing Mei. First we stopped at a cosmetic shop, I bought 2 packs of mask, brand - "我的美丽日记" - Around NTU 185 per box that holds 10 units. Comparingly to Malaysia. I saw a pair of two with the price RM 9.00 so damn expensive here at Malaysia. These two boxes of mask I bought for my ex-gf and my brother. Flavoured Strawberry and one with Cooling effect. We moved on into a complex, bought some souvenirs and shirts. We went into a store department selling all Japanese stuffs, full of customers. Circling around the racks, getting to know those stuffs Japanese used are really cool and are of at the tip of technology. Learning new things, at least I have come across with these stuffs.

After shopping for 3.5 hours we gathered back. We took a bus中枥客运 and went back to CYCU campus night market. Guess what for dinner? Beef noodle soup without noodles... :P Not nice also. :( Haha, we dined in with Song, Wang Yan, Juan Juan, Xiao Min and Xiao Yu. Chatted awhile. Then we went back to the dorm... Yet, before going back I bought myself a famous chicken chop 家乡鸡排 (recommended by Mr. Teoh), tremendously nice and tasty. Love it. This was the second one I ate. The first one was bought by dear Mr. Teoh. This stall is just outside of CYCU backdoor. I recommend you guys try it at least once. You'll love it.

It was already around 12am at night. Zzzz on the bed after a hot shower. Today was quite "full" for me, a visit to NTU and met up with friend from Sabah, the Japanese store department, conversation that binded up Malaysians and Taiwanese students, etc. Great day!