Day 3 at Taipei – View from Taipei 101

We decided to sleep in a bit as it was raining and to take it easy after a long day yesterday. After breakfast, we visited the Taipei 101 (臺北 101), officially known as the Taipei International Financial Center (臺北國際金融大樓), the 508-meter high skyscraper of 101-floor is in the Xinyi District.

The Taipei 101 tower was designed to resemble bamboo rising from the earth, a plant recognised in Asian cultures for its fast growth and flexibility, both of which are ideal characteristics for a financial building.  It also boasts the world’s second fastest elevators, which will zip visitors up to the 89th-floor observation deck in mere 37 seconds.

 

What’s a damper and how does it work?

Building dampers originated from Japan, the earliest version was nothing more than a stone foundation to put the building on. The damper worked by isolating the building from the earth, which creates a relative shift that produces a counterforce, effectively reducing earthquake energy. In addition to regular high-rises, damper appears in towers, bridges and high-tech facilities among other large buildings. Below is the damper in Taipei 101.

Taipei 101 – View from Atop

After shopping at the upmarket mall at Taipei 101, we took the MRT and stopped at Songshan Station and walked to Wufenpu Garment Wholesale Area where the value for money clothing and accessories are being sold.  The literal translation of “Wufenpu” is “five parcels of open land,” indicating that in pioneering days the first Chinese settlers bought up a large plot here in modern Taipei’s Songshan District in a group of five.

The place is now synonymous with wholesalers’ district stuffed to the brim with quality inexpensive clothing and related adornments and happy bargain-hunters. I did not manage to get any bargains from there as the sizes were too small for me which may not be a bad thing. Then I need not spend time decluttering due to impulsive buying.

For more on my trip, check out Taiwan Trip.

 

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