Fully booked within two hours！Four hundred history buffs gather for Taipei heritage tour

▲ The “Loving Taipei City – Heritage Crawl” takes participants on a journey through historic Taipei landmarks. (Photo / from the Heritage Crawl Facebook page)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The “Loving Taipei City – Heritage Crawl” event today gathered over 400 people for a mass gathering, including visits to the former residence of Chang Dai-chien, with groups exploring Taipei’s historical sites along five different routes. The annual “Loving Taipei City – Heritage Crawl” event, organized by the Taipei City Historical Records Committee, saw 430 registered participants assemble at the former site of the Taiwan Kuankai Temple in Wanhua this morning for a grand “Heritage Rally Ceremony.”

Taipei City Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Liu Weigong said in his speech that this year’s event reached full registration capacity in less than two hours. In addition to thanking the public for their support, he noted that next year marks the 130th anniversary of Taipei’s founding, and the committee plans to offer even more diverse and enriching heritage tour routes. He welcomed the public to continue participating. Liu himself acted as the drum beater during the rally ceremony, kicking off this year’s Heritage Rally amid enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

This year’s Heritage Rally was divided into five themed routes: “Visiting Celebrity Residences,” “Walking Old Streets and Tasting History,” “Listening to Historic Houses Speak,” “Centuries of Elegance Endure,” and “A Leisurely Stroll Through Western Taipei.” Participants set off along the five routes, guided by volunteers from the Historical Records Committee, to explore the history and heritage sites of Taipei.The committee stated that “Visiting Celebrity Residences” is one of the most popular routes. In addition to the well-known former residence of Lin Yutang, lesser-known sites such as the former residence of Qian Mu and the Moya Studio (former residence of Chang Dai-chien) were also featured. The committee pointed out that inside Moya Studio, visitors can not only learn about Chang Dai-chien’s artistic achievements but also gain insight into his daily life. During his lifetime, Chang kept gibbons and grey cranes in the garden. He had a special fondness for gibbons, reportedly because his mother dreamed of an old man bringing a gibbon the day before he was born—leading to his name “Yuan.” The last two gibbons at the residence have now been relocated to the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology for care.

Additionally, the “Centuries of Elegance Endure” route was led by volunteer and local cultural historian Huang Yongquan, who took participants up to a high-rise near the Mazu Temple to view Wanhua’s development from a unique perspective. Huang also introduced two hidden gems: the century-old incense shop “Lao Ming Yu,” which sells mooncakes only during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and a Japanese-style ryotei tucked away in the Zhixing Market. The committee noted that this year’s event sold out instantly upon opening registration and mobilized even more passionate history-loving guides to deliver a unique weekend experience for participants. The public is welcome to join next year’s event. (News source: Central News Agency)