Taiwan Today
Date: July 1, 2016

The future of Taipei starts in the old town area because a great city is judged by the depth of

Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je helps launch the National Geographic Channel documentary “Inside: Reinventing Taipei” June 29 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of Taipei City Government)

its history, not by the height of its buildings, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said June 29 at the launch of National Geographic Channel documentary “Inside: Reinventing Taipei.”

Earlier this year Taipei’s historic North Gate finally showed its original face after demolition of the nearby concrete overpass to Zhongxiao Bridge, which had obscured the gate for 39 years. The process was captured in the documentary, along with a 3-D animation of the city 130 years ago, which will be officially screened in 37 countries and territories July 3 to expected audience of 120 million.

Taipei, along with its surrounding stone walls, was built in 1884 during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). It could be accessed by five gates: the North, East, West, South and Secondary South gates. The city walls and West Gate were destroyed during Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). While the East, South and Secondary South gates have undergone major modifications, the surviving two-story North Gate is the only original structure that incorporates time-honored Chinese architectural features.     [FULL  STORY]