The facade of Taipei’s historic Grand Hotel One of Taipei’s most standout and recognizable buildings is the Grand Hotel, known in Chinese as the “Yuanshan Great Hotel” to locals. Once the tallest building in Taiwan (although it has been long overshadowed by newer skyscrapers), it is one of the few remaining examples of Chinese classical architecture present in Taiwan and is a permanent fixture in Taiwanese history and politics. The ceiling of the hotel lobby The hotel was established on Yuanshan Mountain over a Shinto shrine in 1952. The location was suggested by Madame Chiang Kai-shek, wife of the first President of the Republic of China, who commissioned Taiwanese architect Yang Cho-Cheng to build a luxury hotel that would impress and attract foreign guests. Yang succeeded–not only has the hotel hosted prominent figures such as Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, and President Dwight Eisenhower, but it was also named as one of the world’s… Read More