Tamsui and the National Palace Museum

We spent the late afternoon and evening at Tamsui (Damshui), a port town outside of Taipei and on the river mouth into the Taiwan Strait. Our first stop was the old Fort Santo Domingo. This was originally a wooden fort built by the Spanish in 1629 at Tamsui on the northwestern coast of Taiwan. In 1642, the Dutch expelled the Spaniards from nearby Keelung, and the Dutch built a new fort on the site, called Fort Anthonio. In 1644, they replaced it by the structure still standing today, also called Fort Anthonio. From 1683 to 1867 the Qing Dynasty Chinese government controlled the fort and during this time (1724) built a stone wall with four gates around it, of which only one (main) gate survives. Following the opium wars in 1868 the British took over the fort, made it their trade consulate, and painted it red (it was previously white).This was a terrific way to spend out last evening in Taiwan. After visiting the fort we strolled over to the waterfront where we mingled with the local crowd. The sunset was beautiful. A long walk down the "old street" completed the evening. The attached video gives one a feeling of the craziness: like a carnival on steroids.

We are visiting the National Palace Museum today. Some background is in order (taken from Wikipedia.....). In 1931, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalist Government ordered the Palace Museum in Beijing to quickly move its most valuable pieces out of the city to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army. Select pieces from the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Preparatory Office of the Central Museum were selected for removal, as well as rare books of the Central Library. After WWII, the Chinese Civil War resumed ultimately resulting in Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's decision in evacuating the art to Taiwan. When the fighting worsened in 1948 between the Chinese Communist and Chinese Nationalist armies, the Directors of the Palace Museum made the decision to send some of the most prized items in the Museum's collection to Taiwan. A total of 2,972 crates were shipped in three groups and arrived in Keelung, Taiwan, in February 1948. By the time the items arrived in Taiwan, the Mao Zedong's Communist army had already seized control of the Beijing Palace Museum collection so not all of the collection could be sent to Taiwan. The 2,972 crates of artifacts moved to Taiwan only accounted for a quarter of the items originally transported South from Beijing, although the pieces represented some of the very best of the collection. The Peoples Republic of China government has long said that the collection was stolen and that it legitimately belongs in China, but Taiwan has defended its collection as a necessary act to protect the pieces from destruction, especially during the Cultural Revolution. However, relations regarding this treasure have warmed in recent years and the Palace Museum in Beijing has agreed to lend relics to the National Palace Museum for exhibitions and Palace Museum curator Zheng Xinmiao have said that the artifacts in both mainland and Taiwan museums are "China's cultural heritage jointly owned by people across the Taiwan Strait."

The pictures are: The Wind Symphony outside the National Palace Museum, Ft. Santo Domingo, local gentleman relaxing, Dr. Korak enjoying the fresh air on the waterfront, a scene looking up river at sunset and various food choices from street vendors....grilled squid....YUM!