A new postcard has just arrived from Tainan, Taiwan,
11048 km away!!
Cherry has written and coloured a beautiful postcard
that shows a scene from one of our favourite books of all time, Lewis Carroll's
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1869).
As you can see, Cherry's postcard features The White
Rabbit, a character who appears at the very beginning of the book (in chapter
one) wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too
late!" It is him whom Alice follows down the rabbit hole into Wonderland!
Thank you Cherry for this lovely postcard! It was a
very good choice considering the fact that this year we celebrate the 150th
anniversary of the original publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan and
also commonly known as the "CapitalCity"
(Chinese: 府城; pinyin: fǔchéng) for its over 200 years of
history as the capital of Taiwan under various
ruling dynasties. Its former name, Tayouan (大員), has been claimed to be the origin of the name "Taiwan".
The TaiwanConfuciusTemple was
built in 1665 to offer lectures and cultivate intellectuals. It was the first
learning institute for children whenTaiwan was
ruled by Qing Dynasty. The Confucian temple serves now as a popular
tourist attraction and hosts ancient Confucian ceremonies.
The National
Museum of Taiwan Literature exhibits local literary works as part of its
multilingual, multi-ethnic focus. The museum is located in the former TainanCity
Hall,
constructed in 1916 and famous for its historical significance.
The Bee Hives are the most important fireworks in Lantern Festival. They are actually
thousands of bottle rockets arranged row atop row in an iron-and-wooden
framework. The setup looks like a beehive full of unleashed gunpowder. Dazzling
explosives whiz and whirl across the sky and often into the spectators, both thrilling
and intimidating them.
LIFESTYLE
Tainan is
also one of Taiwan's
cultural capitals, for its rich folk cultures including the famous local
snack food, extensively preserved Taoist rites and other living local
traditions covering everything from child birth to funerals.
Pingtung
is the 5th largest county in Taiwan and
the 2nd largest of Southern Taiwan after Kaohsiung City. It borders KaohsiungCity to
the north, Taitung County to the east, the Taiwan
Strait to the west and the Bashi Channel to the south.
The top
tourist attraction in Pingtung County is Kenting National Park.The Kenting
National Park (sometimes Kending) is a national park located
in the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan. This is Taiwan's
oldest and southernmost national park and one of the most popular resort places
in Taiwan.
It is well known for its tropical climate and sunshine, scenic mountain and
beach. Moreover, the Spring Scream rock-band festival is held here
every March.
Pingtung City has
two night markets, one named after the city itself and another called Rui Guang. The first one
offers your standard street food. The second one is of a different brand and is
a bit harder to find, especially in northern Taiwan.
This CulturalPark is
something of a "living museum". It showcases the architecture and
lifestyle of nine of Taiwan's
aboriginal tribes. Each of the nine tribes has its own area, where replicas of
their living quarters are authentically reproduced. If you're looking for a way
to get familiar with Taiwan's
aboriginal culture but aren't thrilled about reading placards in an
air-conditioned museum, this is a great alternative.
This
island is located eight or so miles off the coast of Pingtung.
You can get here by ferry from DonggangHarbor in PingtungCounty.
The island sits atop loads of coral, so it is rich with snorkelling
opportunities and lots of laying around on the beach. Baisha (white sand) Bay
is the most common spot for diving and snorkeling.
LIFESTYLE
PingtungCity is
not typically on tourist itineraries. However, people are friendly and foreign
people will appreciate unique aspects of southern Taiwanese life, such as night
markets, bright neon lights and numerous Buddhist temples. Streets are lined
with palm trees. In the center of town is Zhongshan park, which has a soccer field,
pond, fountains and playground.
Since the
city does not cater to tourists, life typically revolves around the extended
family and friends.
If you
want to know more about Pingtung City, watch this video:
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan. Its name
literally means "North of Tai(wan)” and so it is situated at the
northern tip of Taiwan.
The city has a population of 2,700,000 inhabitants making it the 40th
most-populous urban area in the world.
...being the
political, economic, educational, and cultural centre of Taiwan,
and one of the major cities of the Chinese-speaking world. Taipei is
part of a major high-tech industrial area. Railways, high-speed rail, highways,
airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with
all parts of Taiwan.
This memorial hall is a Taiwanesenational monument erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Zhongzheng
District.
Taipei 101is a skyscraper that was officially classified as the world's tallest building in 2004, and
remained such until the opening ofBurj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010.
It is a memorial to the Republic of China's National
Father, Dr.Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on 1972. The total building area
covers 29,464 square metres. It contains displays of Sun's life and the
revolution he led, and is also a multi-purpose social, educational and cultural centre.
It is the home of Taiwan's National Symphony
Orchestra. The building's neo-classic Chinese architecture is especially
stunning when flood-lit at night.
If you
want to know more about Taipei, watch this video:
