As you walk around the modern Taipei of 2008, remember this: a long, long time ago, during prehistoric times, the land basin here was part of a huge lake. Now, of course, Taipei City is one of the jewels of Asia, a bustling city full of parks, culture, a sleek subway system and one of the world's tallest buildings, Taipei 101.

A brief history lesson is in order here: After China was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War, it ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895. The Japanese colonial government, which ruled Taiwan from 1895 to1945, reorganized Taipei as a county. In October of 1920, Taipei City was officially made a municipality, and today, many years later, Taipei has a population of over 2.5 million people (over 6 million, including suburbs). It's a world-class city, with world-class hotels and conference centers, and some of the best food in Asia.

Taipei has risen to become the political, economic, educational, cultural, and information hub of this nation of 23 million people. It has developed into one of the world's foremost international cities, a dazzling showcase of urban development in the 21st century.

During your visit to Taipei, you will discover why many foreigners enjoy living and working here, and why the colorful city has become a magnet for international conferences and meetings. It's a city for discovery, business, entertainment, and making new friends. Enjoy your stay here!

By mixing traditional and contemporary, Eastern and Western, local and international, Taiwanese artists in both the visual and performing arts have been exploring different approaches and developing their own unique styles. Painters, dancers, musicians, and avant-garde visionaries in Taipei similarly draw on both global and native cultural codes to create new modes of artistic and cultural expression, and explore issues of national concern.

Traditional handicrafts such as paper cutting, knotting, and dough figurine sculpture continue to be fairly common in Taipei. Other apprentice-oriented folk arts are puppetry, dragon and lion dancing, folk opera and dance, and traditional acrobatics.

Painting, calligraphy, sculpture, woodcarving, chop carving, and temple crafts are omnipresent in the city. The ceramic arts (with workshops mostly located in Yingge Township in Taipei County), and glass paste and crystal with Liuli Gongfang and Tittot, are internationally famous.

Despite the important position of traditional Chinese music in Taiwan, Western classical music predominates. Many young classical musicians, having succeeded in international circles, have now returned to Taiwan as either visiting musicians or regular members of orchestras. Taiwanese opera has seen a revival in the last few years; it features colorful makeup and costumes, stage props, and stylized gestures. It was and still is--performed on outdoor stages, often in front of temples. Dance in Taiwan has become increasingly diverse since the late 1960s. Early pioneers of modern dance began performing in the 1940s after studying European-influenced modern dance in Japan. Some troupes, such as the Cloud Gate Dance Theater founded by Lin Hwai-min, have gained a devoted local audience and attained international fame.

From world-renowned Taoist and Buddhist temples to internationally acclaimed museums and cultural centers, the capital boasts a thriving cultural scene. From calligraphy to Chinese tea culture, from Chinese opera to guest concert appearances by world greats such as Placido Domingo, Taipei has become a very cosmopolitan city. In addition, the National Palace Museum and the Juming Museum (more a sculpture park, actually) have helped put Taiwan on the world map. During your visit here, be sure to take in a few of these amazing sights and sounds!

Taipei City is one place where you can literally "shop until you drop."

There are ultra-modern shopping malls housed inside sleek skyscrapers, with all the top international brands available. The Warner Village area located between the City Hall and the Taipei 101 Tower,

practically next door to our Congress venues offers the highest concentration of department stores in the country. There are also many sidewalk flea markets and night markets, where there are bargains galore for clothes, jewelry, and assorted fashion accessories. Whether you go shopping at Taipei 101 or the Shilin Night Market, you will have the time of your life!

In addition, the tasty allure of the snacks sold in Taipei's night markets makes them truly irresistible -- Longshan Temple and the night markets at Huaxi Street, Shilin, Donghua Street, Raohe Street, Liaoning, and Jingmei, among others, all have their own special snacks giving off aromas that draw in diners from far and wide.

The Raohe Street Night Market is located near the intersection of that street and Bade Road, and stretches for 600 meters. There are numerous vendors here selling pork ribs simmered with medicinal herbs, a good choice of strengthening foods for the cold winter months. On Fuyuan Street, about 200 meters from Raohe Street, is a bustling row of seafood restaurants. The Raohe night market is also a place where you can buy all kinds of young-spirited and fashionable clothes at wholesale prices.

The Tonghua Street Night Market, running between Xinyi Road, Sec. 4 and Keelung Road, Sec. 2 (very near our Congress headquarters), also provides all kinds of delicious snacks including cuttlefish stew, red-blossom sausage, heavenly fragrance bean curd, bowl rice, and vermicelli in soup, all unique and mouth-watering.

In addition to savoring Taipei's wonderful and delicious night-market delicacies, you might go shopping in the popular Xinyi commercial district where our headquarters Grand Hyatt is located. And, if you have a fondness for jades and other gems, you can go to the Jianguo Weekend Jade Market where almost 900 vendors display their wares every Saturday and Sunday. This market, one of the largest jade markets in Asia, attracts large crowds of local residents and foreign visitors alike who come here to browse or to buy.

Taipei is a diner's paradise, a place where the smell of food emanates from every street corner, and the food here is excellent. From international cuisines to local Taiwanese dishes, the menus in Taiwan will have you coming back for more. In the city itself, there are many popular international eateries featuring Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Western cuisine, with good service and moderate prices.

To learn more about Taiwanese food, you might want to sample one of the most popular dishes in Taipei - beef noodle soup, called "Niu Rou Mien" in Mandarin. "Beef noodle soup is one of the delicacies of the Taiwanese people," according to former Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou.

In Taipei you can eat around the clock, and the variety of food on offer is just amazing. From top-notch exclusive restaurants to the smallest food stalls in food plazas or markets, the food is always healthy and delicious.

You can sample sushi, sashimi, hot pot dishes, seafood, and many varieties of noodles, as well as all five styles of traditional Chinese cuisines and Western specialties. Your belly (and your pocketbook) will be very satisfied with the food here. Enjoy!

For nightlife, there are many bars, pubs, and nightclubs that cater to every taste in music and fashion, for all age groups. From British-style pubs to microbreweries serving tasty German and Belgian beers, the pub scene is alive every night, seven days a week. In addition, if you are interesting in dancing the night away, several hot spots will be ready to welcome you and your group. For fans of jazz or classical music, Taipei also boasts some world-class venues for your listening pleasure. A few pubs in the city also showcase the original music of Taiwan's Aboriginal peoples; and for visitors to the island, these places are well worth a stop.

Most places can be found around the Warner Village (young and hip), Fuxing and Anhe roads (chic and shock), and Shida Road (student cool). Venues are easy to reach by subway, bus, or taxi, and some are close to major hotels as well. So after your working day is over, and you are ready for some serious relaxing, Taipei City is the place to be.

Although Taipei is a modern international city, it is also close to nature and the great outdoors. The northern coast of Taiwan is not far away, as a day trip to the small seaside down of Danshui will show you, complete with tasty seafood dishes sold in restaurants and outdoors at sidewalk cafes along the riverfront. Danshui is easily accessible by MRT, and is a charming historic town.

Mountains surround Taipei city, and there are several excursions you can make by bus or taxi to explore the lush, green landscapes there. Yangmingshan, with its huge national park, is Taipei's centerpiece and is worth a visit. There you can admire flower blossoms and hot-spring sources.

For a morning or evening hike, other mountainside trails are available near the city center. The Nangang Tiger Mountain has a well-kept path, and from the top you can take a look at the beautiful cityscape below. The trail is located in the low hills which border the East District of Taipei, and the walk takes three hours to complete. Nangang Elephant Mountain Trail, which begins near the Lingyun Temple at Section 5, Xinyi Road, is an old animal trail on Nangang Mountain. It is an easy, narrow path visited by tourists and locals who want to unwind. The trail is open to children and adults alike and takes about two hours to finish.

The city has wonderful parks too. There are the 228 Park, also known as Peace Park; the huge Da-an Park on Xinyi road, the Botanical Gardens, the CKS Memorial park, and many local neighborhood parks where you can see people, young and old, enjoying outdoor life in early mornings and evenings.

Taipei is also famous for its hot springs. Yangmingshan and the nearby district of Beitou have hundreds of springs and resorts that are open to the public, and it's a great way to relax after a day of meetings and conferences. While hot springs can help you fight the winter cold, in the summer, the mountains altitude offer a cool retreat from the heat and bustle of the city.

When your meetings are over, and you have some free time, you will enjoy getting out and about in the greater metropolitan Taipei area. There are many things to do, and many scenic buildings and spots to visit.

From one of the tallest buildings in the world, Taipei 101, with its top floors often shrouded in fog or clouds, to the fabulous National Palace Museum, Taipei is a sightseeing paradise. So make some time for local touring, and be prepared for some amazing sights. There are ferry rides to the seaside, lush mountain hikes, and wonderful urban parks awaiting you.

CKS Memorial Hall, for example, is dedicated to the memory of Chiang Kai-shek, the former president of the Republic of China. Built five years after Chiang s death, the memorial remains one of Taipei's most remarkable monuments. A museum located on the ground floor exhibits photos of the late president and some of his personal possessions. The Chinese-classical National Theater and Concert Hall are located directly across from each other on the grounds of the CKS Memorial Hall.

The Dihua Street Traditional Drygoods Market, at the intersection of Minsheng West Road and Dihua Street, is also a great tourist spot. Here is the real, traditional Taiwan, in living, breathing color: Smell the fragrances of old Taiwan and see the architecture of colonial times in these narrow streets of downtown Taipei. When visiting Dihua Street, do not miss the Xiahai City God Temple, a small but active shrine dedicated to the deity who is believed to watch over the neighborhood. Other unique temples within the city are the Xiantian, Baoan, Dalong, and Longshan temples.

About half hour drive from Taipei, you can visit the old harbor-city of Danshui  and its Fort San Domingo, built by the Spanish, or the wondrous Yangmingshan Park that abounds with hot springs.

There's much to see in and around Taipei, both the old and the new, from bookstores that are open all night to 24-hour eateries that cater to customers from all walks of life at any time of day. Temples, museums, skyscrapers, food markets, night markets, fish markets: you name it, Taipei City has it.