It’s been a little while since I posted. There’s been a couple changes, most notably is I’m only posting twice a week now. So stay tuned for Monday and Friday Blogs/Vlogs. This is to put out better, more entertaining posts. Today’s blog consists of two parts, a trip to Chiang Kai-shek and a hike up YangMingShan.
On Saturday, we went to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial or 中正紀念堂(zhong1zheng4ji4nian4tang2). Construction began in 1976, and it was constructed in memory of Chiang Kai-Shek(蔣中正, jiang3zhong1zheng4), former president of the Republic of China.
There are three structures that will immediately grab your attention. The first (technically two) is the temple on either side of the memorial. I count both as one because they’re essentially identical. Behind the temples is the main gate, with the characters 自由廣場 (zi4you2guang3場3) which means “freedom square”. Finally, the last thing you’ll see is the memorial itself. After ascending a large flight of stairs, you’ll be in front of the memorial, and notice a large statue of the former president. There are always two soldiers standing at either side, not moving a muscle.
On Sunday, we climbed up YangMingShan (陽明山, yang2ming2shan1). YangMingShan is one of Taiwan’s nine national parks, and the is located between Taipei and New Taipei. The districts 北投(bei3tou2), 士林(shi4lin2), 萬里(wan4li3), 金山(jin1shan1), and 三芝(san1zhi1). People from all over Taiwan come to admire the cherry blossoms, hot springs, sulfur fumaroles, and hike. It also contains Taiwan’s tallest dormant volcano, Seven Star Mountain(七星山, qi1xing1shan1).
The hike took a total of about 3 hours. It wasn’t exactly hard, but it was all steps and they were pretty uneven. Compared to Huangdidian, it was much easier. The views were spectacular, and you could see the other districts and the cost of Taiwan. I only wish it wasn’t that windy, since I couldn’t use my drown.
Of course, it’s better to see these for yourself. So make sure to check out today’s vlog.
Link to today’s video: