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Lantern Festival & the Arts in Taiwan

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Lantern Festival & the Arts in Taiwan TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS IN 2013 Lantern Festival & the Arts in Taiwan TAIPEi – HSINCHu – SUN MOON LAKe – TAINAn – KAOHSIUNg – ChIHPEn – TAROKO GORGE with Phoebe Alexander 22 February – 06 March 2013 (13 days) Tour Lantern Festival & leader the Arts in Taiwan Taiwan’s glittering Lantern Festival, starting on the first full moon of the lunar year, provides a spectacular backdrop for this art and cultural tour of Taiwan. After exploring the extraordinary collection of art treasures, encompassing millennia of Chinese history, held in Taipei’s National Palace Museum, discover the other scenic and cultural highlights of Taiwan – once called ‘beautiful island’ (Ilha Formosa) by Portuguese sailors. Visit Tainan’s Chimei Museum, the beautiful Sun Moon Lake, where former President Chiang Kai-shek entertained dignitaries from around the world, and the magnificent Taroko Gorge where the Liwu River carves a winding path through Born in Taiwan, Phoebe solid rock amid spectacular scenery. Alexander has travelled extensively throughout Asia, and has an in-depth knowledge of its history, culture and people. At a glance Phoebe recently retired from her position as Councillor at • 2013 Lantern Festival in Hsinchu TAIPEI the Art Gallery Society of and Pingxi’s Sky Lantern Festival Hsinchu NSW. She previously worked • Two visits to Taipei’s National as a Senior Producer for SBS Palace Museum Radio, where she produced • Visit the prestigious private Taroko many travel segments about collection of the Chimei Museum Sun Moon Lake Gorge her journeys to Asia. • Discover thousands of years of art history from one of the world’s Phoebe is heavily involved in oldest cultures TAIWAN community and charity work, • Stay in some of Taiwan’s most and has designed and led a iconic hotels, such as The Lalu in Tainan Chihpen number of tours to Asia. Sun Moon Lake and Silk Place in Taroko Gorge – both situated in Kaohsiung areas of extraordinary natural beauty Map is a guide only Wenwu Temple, Sun Moon Lake Itinerary Fri 22 Feb 2013 Sydney – Taipei Mon 25 Feb Taipei – Hsinchu Morning departure from Australia on Cathay Pacific flights via Hong Leave the capital and drive to Hsinchu – often referred to as Asia’s Kong, arriving in Taipei late afternoon. Transfer to your hotel on ‘Silicon Valley’. On the way, stop at the Cihu Mausoleum – the quiet arrival. Evening at leisure. and beautiful resting place of President Chiang Kai-shek – and visit Nan Yuan, a beautifully designed resort with Jiangnan-style Sat 23 Feb Taipei architecture and landscaped gardens in Hsinpu County, which for This morning join Phoebe Alexander for a welcome breakfast and many years was a very exclusive area for the use of top-echelon briefing, before embarking on a full day tour of Taipei.S tart with officers of the United Daily News group. The project, started in the first of two visits to the National Palace Museum – home to the 1985, took two years to complete, and had absolutely no budgetary world’s largest and finest collection of Chinese art, spanning 5,000 constraint. Continue to Beipu, known for its Hakkanese blends of tea years of Chinese history. Among the treasures exhibited at the and nuts, before checking into your hotel in Hsinchu – home to the museum are painting, calligraphy, tapestries, ceramic and jade from largest Hakka community in Taiwan. the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. An amazing collection of Tonight join the annual Lantern Festival in the streets of Hsinchu and artefacts inherited from the Forbidden City from 1925 to 1931, after in the City God temple. Join the locals for an evening of art and music the last Qing Emperor Puyi was exiled from Beijing, is also on display. After lunch, embark on a tour of Taipei – Taiwan’s capital and most vibrant city. Visit the Martyrs’ Shrine, built in 1969 on Chingshan Taiwan’s Lantern Festival Mountain and overlooking the Keelung River, and dedicated to the Held annually on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, war dead of the Republic of China. Also see Confucius Temple, the Lantern Festival is one of the most fascinating Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall built in 1980 to commemorate festivities around the globe. It takes place in a different former Taiwan President Chiang Kai-shek, and Taipei 101. location each year, and draws participation from both Tonight wander around the famous Shinlin Night Market, teeming with local and foreign visitors. stalls selling delicious foods, trendy clothing, and much more. B L The two-week long festival is celebrated with lantern-making, Sun 24 Feb Taipei lantern riddle games, and displays of glittering decorative lanterns. The main lanterns can be up to 15 metres tall. Smaller Start the day with a visit to the dazzling Flower and Jade Market, lanterns are carried by children and adorn the city’s temples. before returning to the National Palace Museum for a guided tour of Competitions are held to highlight the glowing works of art, a different part of the collections. and many cultural activities are planned including fireworks, Afternoon at leisure to further explore the museum on your own. music, dance and theatrical performances. In Pingxi, a small township nestled among the mountains an The festival is also celebrated by eating tang yuan – glutinous hour’s drive from Taipei, people have their wishes written on sky rice balls stuffed with red bean paste. This custom symbolises lanterns and release them to the skies on the first day of the lunar family unity. calendar during the Chinese New Year. Tonight attend these joyful The festival’s theme is based on the Chinese zodiac animal celebrations, and make a wish! B for the new year – 2013 will be the year of the snake! City of Taipei Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Taipei performances; see lanterns of all shapes, sizes and designs glow into After lunch enjoy a guided tour of the Chimei Museum. Its rich the night, and taste local delicacies. B L and diverse collections include ancient artefacts, violins crafted by world-famous instrument makers, centuries-old Japanese samurai Tue 26 Feb Hsinchu – Sun Moon Lake swords, and classic paintings from the Renaissance and later artistic Today drive to Taiwan’s largest lake – the beautiful Sun Moon Lake, movements; the museum also holds a large number of bird and with an impressive mountain backdrop. Its shape gave the lake its animal specimens. name: the eastern part is round like the sun, while the western side Late afternoon arrival in Kaohsiung – Taiwan’s largest commercial is shaped like a crescent moon. Its crystalline, emerald green waters harbour and second largest city. Free evening to walk along the reflect the hills and mountains which rise on all sides, giving the colourful banks of the Love River. B L impression of a Chinese landscape painting. Stay at the stunning resort The Lalu, designed by award-winning Australian Fri 01 Mar Kaohsiung – Chihpen architect Kerry Hill and overlooking the lake. The Lalu’s architectural This morning visit the Buddhist monastery of Fo Guang Shan, built design centres on the themes of utmost simplification of Zen style. It is on top of a mountain and surrounded by a bamboo forest. Founded considered by many to be the most exclusive property in Taiwan, featuring in 1967 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the monastery comprises of suites, private villas, swimming pools, courtyards and pavilions. university buildings, shrines, a cemetery, the 36-metre tall statue of Amitabha Buddha and the Great Hero Hall. It promotes Humanistic Late afternoon cruise on the lake, followed by dinner at one of the Buddhism with a focus on education, publishing, translation, Buddhist hotel’s restaurants. B D art galleries and mobile medical clinics. Fo Guang Shan has over 200 Wed 27 Feb Sun Moon Lake – Tainan branch temples throughout the world. This morning explore the lake’s surroundings. Visit Wenwu Temple, Depart Kaohsiung for Taitung to visit the National Museum of built in 1938 on the north of the lake and featuring three halls Prehistory, designed by American architect Michael Graves and dedicated to Kaiji – the God of Literature; Guan Gong – the God located on the terraces of the Beinan River. The design of the building of War; and Confucius – the great teacher. Also see the Holy Monk reflects a distinctive local Taiwanese style with the Central Range by Shrine, dedicated to Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who led an epic its side, while facing sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. The museum is journey from China to India in 629 and returned sixteen years later dedicated to the discovery of 1,500 stone coffins and 20,000 stone with hundreds of scriptures and scrolls, and had a profound influence and pottery artefacts belonging to the Peinan culture by a team of on the spread of Buddhism in China. Continue to the picturesque archaeologists in the 1980s and 1990s. Continue to the town of village of Checheng, beautifully nicknamed the ‘secret garden’, and Chihpen, famous for its hot springs. B L the terminus of the Jiji railroad. Board the train for a short scenic ride. Sat 02 Mar Chihpen – Taroko Gorge This afternoon transfer to Tainan and visit Fort Zeelandia, now Today journey to Taroko Gorge along the east coast, which offers known as Fort Anping, built by the Dutch in 1624 as the administrative stunning coastal scenery. Pass by the small and peaceful coast town centre of their regime, and captured in 1661 by Koxinga – a military of Dulan, learn about the legend surrounding the ‘Terrace of the commander loyal to the Ming Dynasty. B L Three Immortals’ at Sansiantai, and admire the beautiful scenery of Thu 28 Feb Tainan – Kaohsiung Shitiping, where the formation of small layers on the rock surface created by the erosion resemble series of steps that gave the town This morning visit Tainan – the ancient imperial capital.
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