Lesson 6 The Seven Wonders of Taiwan Taipei 101 Yangmingshan National Park National Palace Museum Alishan Sun Moon Lake Taroko Gorge Kenting National Park

Taipei 101. Rising 508 meters into the sky, it is one of the tallest buildings in the world. The tower3 takes its name from the number of stories4 above ground level, and it is topped by a 60-foot spire* that pierces* the sky above it. The National Palace Museum in suburban Taipei is also one of the wonders of Taiwan. The museum has the largest collection5 of Chinese artifacts* in the world, some 700,000 items6 in all.

Yangmingshan National Park, It is not the largest national park in Taiwan, nor is it the one with the highest mountains. Still, it is amazing for being located just on the doorstep11 of the island’s largest city. Here, instead of traffic, pollution and noise, one can find 1,359 species* of plants and 168 species of butterflies.

On the east coast12 of Taiwan is another of Taiwan’s wonders, Taroko Gorge13. Sometimes called Taiwan’s Grand Canyon14, the gorge is a deep and narrow canyon that is 19 kilometers long. It was carved out of solid15 mountain walls by a rushing white-water river. The road that runs along the river, part of the Central Cross-Island Highway, cost more than US$11 million to build. Moreover, a total of 450 human lives were lost during its construction16.

One is Sun Moon Lake, the largest natural body of water in Taiwan One is Sun Moon Lake, the largest natural body of water in Taiwan. Located in Nantou County, the lake is known less for its size than for its beautiful setting. It is surrounded by tea plantations17 and mountains that gradually18 rise to the highest point on the island, Jade Mountain.

Alishan. Building the railway was a major20 engineering achievement nearly one century ago. The little red passenger train passes through 64 tunnels21, crosses 96 bridges and climbs from the subtropical* plain22 to the alpine* forests above in just 72 kilometers.

Kenting It takes only a few hours to go from Taipei’s high-tech* environment23 to Kenting’s white, sandy beaches. But when you lie on the beach there and gaze at the blue Pacific Ocean beyond, you have to remind yourself that you’re still in modern fast-paced* Taiwan, not in Phuket or Bali. That is why Kenting National Park deserves24 to be listed as one of Taiwan’s seven wonders.