Hello after almost a month of no blog post! So happy to share with you that things are going well for me work wise which explains my absence. I have styling gigs (my bread and butter!) almost everyday and I am so so tired but so so happy. I will try to post more often, I promise! Anyway, on our 2nd day in Taipei my brother's eyes acted up because of his uveitis. He was in pain & couldn't see anything so he decided to stay in and rest his eyes for a day. We were supposed to go to Jiufen but decided to do it the next day when he's a little well na. We agreed to go somewhere he won't really miss, somewhere near. So we went to the National Palace Museum! Here are photos and stories...
It was almost lunch time when we left our very cozy AirBnb accommodation, so we decided to eat at a restaurant on or way to the train station. Also a few steps away from where we're staying is a stall selling the legendary Taiwanese pork buns!
Admission is NT$250 and English audio guides could be rented for NT$200. I also saw groups of tourists lining up for the free guided tours in English at 10am and 3pm. If we had more time aavail sana namin. Next time! :)
Level 1 includes rare books, special exhibits, Qing and Ming dynasty furniture, religious sculptures, and a great orientation gallery to give you an overview of dynasties.
Level 2 includes painting, calligraphy, a history of Chinese ceramics with abundant examples, and an interactive area with videos and a virtual tour of 20 famous paintings.
Level 3 contains bronzes, weapons, ritual vessels, and Ming and Qing dynasty carvings. There is also the stunning jade collection, covering weapons, teapots, jewellery, ritual objects and the jade cabbage.
Shilin Market is located in Taipei's Shilin District. It is 70 meters away from Jiantan Station between Dadong Rd, Danan Rd, Wenlin Rd, and Jihe Rd. The maze of alleyways is filled with a variety of local, traditional, and international merchandise that attract locals and foreigners alike. The night market consists of two major elements: general merchandise and local cuisine. Along the western edge of the market is the Shilin Night Market Food Court, an underground food paradise. (Source: https://guidetotaipei.com)
Freshly cooked for just NT$50
Look for this stall! Sister not included. Hehe.
And then a few steps away from the pork bun stall is this local resto!
Menu. Ano na mga bes??? Beer & popular lang naintindihan ko. PAANO??? One of their staff helped us out. At least he could speak a little english. Hehe.
Pork steamed dumplings, Chicken curry rice, Beef curry rice (not their exact names haha). So good! We paid NT120 each.
Lakas maka local hi Nico haha
Walked again going to Taipei Main train station
DIRECTIONS: To go to the National Palace Museum from Taipei Main, ride the Tamsui red line going to Shilin. It's the 6th stop from Taipei Main Station. Take Exit 1 and look for the bus stop. We hopped on Bus #30 which dropped us off a few steps away from the museum door. :)
Information:)
Shilin Map! Taipei is tourist friendly. :)
Sushi anyone?
There were some shops outside the train station selling cute items like Studio Ghibli merchandise (omg I died) and a lot more! I don't know why I didn't take photos but I bought a cute Totoro iphone cable for just NT$120. I got heartbroken when I lost it huhu.
From the train station exit, just walk straight and then turn right sa corner and you'll see the bus stop!
Routes
Museum poster!
Our bus!
National Palace Museum drop-off point
Outside the museum is this bus stop with schedule:)
The museum is huge! On the first floor is the information desk, waiting area and souvenir shop
The ticketing booth and audio guide rentals are on the 2nd floor
Admission is NT$250 and English audio guides could be rented for NT$200. I also saw groups of tourists lining up for the free guided tours in English at 10am and 3pm. If we had more time aavail sana namin. Next time! :)
No food or drinks inside! Also no backpacks or big bags. They have lockers for rent.
Audio guides for rent
Let's go!
Decided to check out the open area outside...
The National Palace Museum is located in Shilin, Taipei. It has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest of its type in the world. The collection encompasses over 10,000 years of Chinese history from the Neolithic age to the late Qing Dynasty. Most of the collection are high quality pieces collected by China's emperors. (source: Wikipedia)
My sister was wearing my small SM Parisian backpack and bawal pa din ipasok. Pfft. Haha.
Nipple decor. Hehe.
The different rooms and galleries on the 1st floor
Gallery 101: Religious Cultural Arts
Everything was well presented and curated. The history lover in me was ecstatic. :)
Buddhist relics from the T'ang Dynasty
Super love this animated wall art that tells a story on how people in Taiwan lived hundreds of years ago :)
Gallery 106: Masterpieces of Precious Crafts
Red coral. So beautifullll.
Antique pendants
Carved ivory. Wooww.
Enamel jar. :)
Antique accessories!
So niceeee
Hair ornaments
There was also a display of antique furnitures
Love this cabinet!
More galleries on the 2nd floor
Gallery 201: Clays & Ceramics
Comparison of old & new porcelain plates
Beautiful vase with hundred deers painted on it in falangcai polychrome material
Funerary urn in the old days
Porcelain vases
On the right is a large dish with chrysanthemum rim and impressed design of a lotus pond. Gandaa.
European inspired vases
Love this tea pot!
Illustration on how they produce ceramics in the old days
Porcelains from the Ming Dynasty
Water pourer, Squarish basin & Ding
Pot with metallic purple glass
There were hundreds (or thousands) of things on display and just had to check out each and every one of them.
Relics from the Qing Dynasty
Betchikels the color! Haha. Flower shaped vase with fish and dragon design
Some facts about porcelain
Gallery 204: Painting & Calligraphy
Documents from the Tang Dynasty
Old paintings
"Lohan" a Song dynasty painting
Portraits of Yuan Dynasty Imperial Consorts (1279-1368)
Portrait of the Yuan Emperor Taizu
Gallery of art pieces collected at the Mongol Yuan Court during elegant gatherings by Princess Sengge Ragi who is a descendant of Genghis Khan and the great-granddaughter of Kublai Khan.
This room is so cool!
It's an interactive new media art room
Slide the screen to view the painting
Paint 100 horses
Spring photo wall
Find us! Hihi
Nainggit si Nico haha
Ayan din daw sha haha
I am holding an invisible flower pot! Hehe
Tired na sha haha
Level 3 contains bronzes, weapons, ritual vessels, and Ming and Qing dynasty carvings. There is also the stunning jade collection, covering weapons, teapots, jewellery, ritual objects and the jade cabbage.
Mao Gong Ding (Cauldron of Duke of Mao) of the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BCE) carries the longest Chinese bronze inscriptions.
Gallery 303: Antiques Exhibition
First gallery was all about mirrors!
Reminds me of the movie Feng Shui mejo creepy haha
Gallery 307: Chinese Bronzes
Old school weapons
Bronze pa more
Mejo bored na sila haha
Old Qin seals
These are wine vessels. Fanceeey.
I can imagine how people drink and party in the old days hihi
Water vessel from the 9th century to 771 B.C.
Ancient armors
Gallery 306: All About Jades!
Jade knife! Wooow
Jade accessories
Jade divider. So niceeee.
More accessories
Jade bangle, ring, hair ornaments
Quartz galore
Crystals, Quartz & Amethyst
All about Glass naman!
Glass paperweight and jars
Glass bottles
Hanging vase from the 1600s
World without strangers! Love our Giordano tops an Wrangler jeans! :)
With my favorite person...sometimes. Char. Haha.
Lakas maka Twilight ng outfit ni kuya
We left the museum at around 6pm. We boarded the bus again and got off at Shilin Night Market! It's one of the most famous night markets in Taipei. It's the perfect place to pig out and do some shopping! :)
Saw this shop selling delicious bread and cakes.
We got curious so we bought a cheese loaf. OMG sobrang sarap guys. Heavenly! For just NT$100 it was super worth it and it fed the 4 of us haha.
Hoodies on sale!
Popular hotpot place in Shilin. Will try next time!
I see stinky tofu! I didn't like it that much. It was too stinky for me. Haha.
Pork pepper buns! We just had to taste it. So good! It was NT$50 a bun.
It's served hot and fresh and made of marinated pork and green onions, wrapped into a bun, and cooked until the outside is crispy in a barrel oven.
Scallion & bacon wraps
One of my faves! Cold noodles with peanut sauce, ham and cucumber. Got obsessed with this!
And as usual, torched beef cubes!
Caramelized fruits
Reminds me of Kim Book Joo of Weightlifting Fairy haha
So many trendy clothes for sale
Shopping here is much cheaper than Ximending
Got cray cray over Totoro stuff!
Bought a few souvenirs too!
Bought this raincoat from Family Mart. Mejo hassle hehe.
We were kind of in a hurry and it was raining so we didn't get to check out all the shops. Sayang. :(
Walked a few meters from Shilin to get to the nearest train station
From Jiantan, we rode a train back to Taipei Main and then walked all the way home. :)
We didn't get to visit a lot of places that day because the museum tour consumed most of our time. Make sure to allot at least 3 hours or more to be able to visit all galleries and see everything. There are a lot of interesting and historic stuff inside. :) Will be sharing Day 3 soonest! Thanks for reading. :)
EXPENSES/BUDGET in NT$ or TWD (Night 1):
Lunch - 120
Train to Shilin - 25
Totoro phone charger and trinkets - 200
Bus to National Palace - 15
National Palace Museum entrance fee - 250
Bus from National Palace to Shilin Market - 15
Dinner at Shilin - 200
Shopping - 500
Train from Jiantan to Taipei Main - 20
Miscellaneous (water, snacks at Family Mart etc) - 200
__________________________________________
TOTAL = NT$1545 or P2,400
Link to all my travel posts:
Link to all my travel posts:
Hi Sis,
ReplyDeleteIs it really ok na magpicture sa museum? Walang sumita sa inyo? Kala ko mahigpit.
Hi! Great post :) Just want to ask, what day kayo nagpunta ng National Palace Museum, and was it too crowded? Been hearing stressful stories because of the crowds but I really want to go there on our Taipei visit. Thanks so much! :)
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