Taipei described as world's 'most underrated city'

The whole country can now expect a rush of Belgian and Dutch visitors over the coming year, as well as those of other nationalities, as Taipei's newfound reputation is being translated into English and spreading around the Internet.

So hopefully the rest of the world will discover what Japanese, Koreans, Hong Kongers and people from most of Asia have long known, that Taiwan is a unique, fascinating and convenient country to visit.

Jesse Brouns, author of the report carried in the latest edition of the lifestyle magazine, Knack Weekend, praised numerous aspects of the city. For its cuisine, he called it “a gourmet's paradise:” for its music scene, “a Mecca in Asia;” its MRT he described as”the most successful modern rapid transit system:” and the National Palace Museum as the “Chinese version of the Louvre”with which no museum in China could compare.

He also contrasted the preservation of Taipei's architecture with the situation in China, where”the traces of history can be destroyed in minutes,” citing Ximending's Red House and Wanhua's Longshan Temple as examples of his favorite buildings. Nevertheless, he stated that Taipei's real spirit was less to be found in its grand structures, but rather was hidden away in small alleys waiting to be discovered. Summing up, he called Taipei “exquisite” and “just right.”

Of course there are many more things Brouns could have noted. Taipei citizens are not confused with those of Tokyo, who Westerners characterize as going to work in oxygen masks because their air is so polluted. Indeed, the Belgian journalist could have pointed to Taipei's leadership on many environmental issues, such as trash collection and charging for plastic bags. Furthermore, Yangmingshan to the north is the closest national park to any capital city in the world, and the river entering the city from mountains to the south is clean enough to swim in. In addition to the MRT, he could have mentioned the city's hundreds of kilometers of bicycle paths that have revolutionized the lives of its citizens.

Expanding his horizon from Taipei to Taiwan, Brouns could have mentioned historic cities such as Tainan and Lugang, the natural beauty of the island's central mountains, and the nation's aboriginal heritage, perhaps most conspicuous in the easygoing eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung.

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