Taipei (traditional Chinese 臺北, ex. 台北, pinyin: Táiběi, South Minsk Tâi-pak-chhī) is the capital of the Republic of China (the authorities of the Republic of China officially refer to it as “the place of temporary residence of the government of the Republic of China during the communist uprising”). According to the point of view of the PRC leadership, Taipei is the capital of Taiwan Province within the PRC.
In 2003, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, Taipei 101, was built in Taipei. Taipei is Taiwan’s most important educational center. Among the educational institutions, the National Taiwan University is the most famous. Taipei is also Taiwan’s largest media center.

Geography and climate
Located in the northern part of the island, in the Taipei basin. It is bounded by the Danshui (in the west) and Xindian rivers. The terrain, generally low in the central part and in the west of the city, rises to the south, east, and especially to the north, where it reaches a height of 1120 m (Mount Tsyxing). This mountain is the highest extinct volcano on the island and is located in the Yangming National Park. The northern districts of the city – Shilin and Beitou are already located north of the Jilong River. In addition to Cixing, the second highest point in the vicinity of Taipei is Mount Datong (1092 m), also rising to the northeast of the city. To the southeast of Taipei are the Songshan Hills and the Qingshui Gorge, which are densely forested.

The city’s climate is characterized as tropical monsoonal with hot, humid summers and short, mild winters with frequent fogs. The annual level of precipitation is about 2,405 mm, most of which falls between May and September.

History
Until the 18th century, representatives of the Ketagalan people lived in the area of ​​​​modern Taipei. The Chinese (mainly from Fujian) began to settle here in 1709. At the end of the 19th century, Taipei became the main Chinese settlement in northern Taiwan; The port of Tamsui on the shores of the Taiwan Strait acquired particular economic importance, mainly due to the export of tea. In 1875, the northern part of the island seceded from Taiwan Prefecture, forming a new prefecture – Taipei. In 1886, when Taiwan was proclaimed a province of China, Taipei became the capital of that province. All that remains of the old city from the Qing Dynasty is the north gate. The western gates and city walls were demolished during the rule of Japan, while the southern and eastern gates were greatly changed during the reign of the Kuomintang, having lost their original appearance.

Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. Taipei, known in Japanese as Taihoku, then becomes the administrative center of the Japanese colonial government. During the Japanese administration of the island, the city acquires many features of the administrative center, including public buildings and housing for government employees. In 1920, the city became part of the Japanese Taihoku Prefecture; In 1938, Taipei was expanded by joining the village of Matsuyama (modern Songshan District). After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Nationalist Party of China, the Kuomintang, took control of the city.

On December 7, 1949, the Kuomintang government led by Chiang Kai-shek, being forced to leave mainland China during the Civil War, declared Taipei the temporary capital of the Republic of China with the official capital in the city of Nanjing. In the following decades, the city grew significantly. In 1967, Taipei received the status of a provincial municipality; then such areas as Shilin, Beitou, Neihu, Nangang, Jingmei and Muzha were annexed to Taipei. At the same time, the area of ​​Taipei was increased by almost 4 times, and the population increased to 1.56 million people. By the mid-1970s, the population was already about 2 million people; later the rate of growth slowed down and the population became fairly stable by the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, Taipei remains one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and population continues to grow in the areas surrounding the city, in particular in the corridor between Taipei and the port of Jilong in the northeast. In 1990, 16 districts of the city were merged into the modern 12 administrative districts.

Sights
One of the main attractions of Taipei can be considered the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial – an architectural complex in the traditional Chinese style in memory of the Generalissimo and the former President of the Republic of China. In front of the Chiang Kai-shek memorial are the National Theater and the National Concert Hall, which are located respectively at the southern and northern ends of Liberty Square. The entire area is in view from Presidential Palace. Another well-known monument of the capital of Taiwan is the Sun Yat Sen Memorial, which serves as a cultural, social and educational center. It is also worth noting the Museum of the Imperial Palace, which contains rich collections of paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, jade and porcelain, etc.

The Taipei Museum of Fine Arts was opened in 1983 and is a Japanese metabolism style building. It mainly displays works by contemporary Taiwanese artists made after 1940. In 2001, the Museum of Modern Art was also opened in the old city government building. The National Museum of Taiwan, the oldest on the island, was founded in 1908 by the colonial government during Japanese rule.

A well-known attribute of the city is also the Taipei 101 skyscraper, 509.2 m high (with a spire). This is the third tallest building in the world after the skyscrapers Burj Khalifa (828 m) in Dubai and Abraj al-Bayt (601 m) in Mecca. Taipei is also famous for its night markets, the most famous of which is Shilin Market. Taipei Zoo – the largest and oldest on the island, was established in 1914, while the island was under the control of Japan. The zoo is located on the northern tip of the city, in the area of ​​Yanshan Mountain; among many other animals here you can see a giant panda, koala and penguins.

The city has several Buddhist and Taoist temples. One of the oldest temples in Taipei, Longshan, built in 1738, is an example of architecture with southern Chinese influences, which is quite common among the oldest buildings on the island. Another famous temple in the city is Bao’an, built in the early 19th century. Adjacent to it is the Confucius Temple, modeled after the original Confucius Temple in Qufu (Shandong Province of China) in 1879. All of these temples also include influences from Fujian architecture.

Taipei’s main mass festivals include the Lantern Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year and others.