Right around the heart of Taiwan, the most populous city and the “wall” surrounding the capital of the country – New Taipei City is a rather new metropolitan, as it only gained city status in 2010 when the Taipei City County outgrew Taipei itself, hence once the county became a city, New Taipei City was born.
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While the city is brand new, the region has a rich and long history. Archaeological records suggest that the region has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, with some remains tracing back to around 7000 to 4700 BC.
Webcam View from Taipei Down Town
The land was home to the plains indigenous people, mostly Ketagalan, with mainland Chinese only starting to migrate to the land around 1620. Even though initially the indigenous people were forced to move into the mountains, they have slowly assimilated into the greater general population. Nowadays, the New Tapei City is home to millions of people and serves as a business hub.
Webcam View from New Taipei City
Nowadays the city stands as a modern marvel full of bright, blowing skyscrapers carving out the skyline, wonderful parks, and mountains adding a layer of nature and breath to the bustling metropolitan.
The many different districts that form the city all have a unique style and presence, making discovering what the region has to offer that much more entertaining. For example, the Banqiao District is exactly what you would expect from a finance and commerce dominated cityscape, not unlike the many western cities.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for the mix of a bustling modern city, stuffed with relics of the past, or wonderful alleys full of bright signs, districts like Xinzhuang District could be something more up to your speed. With around 30 districts, all surrounding the capital city of Taipei, you are bound to find something you would enjoy.
With such a large and diverse region, it’s no surprise that there’s plenty of interesting things and beliefs to discover. For example, the city is home to over 950 registered temples and an additional 120 churches, but that just starts chipping at the iceberg as the city is also home to more than 3,000 Taoist shrines, with major Buddhist monasteries also found in the region.
If you’re looking to visit any of them, you don’t have to worry, as there are two worship places in every square kilometer on average. If you are looking for a more condensed experience, you can make your way to the Yonghe District where you can find the Museum of World Religions.
Founded in 2001 by a Buddhist monk, and many religious leaders around the world visited the museum during its opening ceremonies, including the fifth Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. The building itself has been designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, designer of major American Museums. Inside, you will find exhibits showcasing ten different major religions found across the globe.
Due to its location, the New Taipei City serves as the second-largest business hub in the country, right after Taipei, making the joined region the center of the country’s economy. New Taipei has over 250,000 privately-owned companies by itself alone, including the factories the capital of the city reaches the NT$ trillion mark.
With many well-developed fields, the region greatly contributes to the GDP of the country, including tourism, IT, the service industry, and much more. This makes the city well-liked both for business and casual tourists, having something to offer to almost anyone.
From the side of tourism, the city is attractive for many things, one of which being the pleasant weather that sticks for almost the whole year. The summer months are especially pleasant if you enjoy some heat, as the temperatures average around 28 degrees Celsius, with rainfall also increasing during these hot months, with around twice as much rain as the winter months.
But, if you would rather enjoy the pleasant winter months, that see both less heat and less rain, you will be glad to find out that the winter months in New Taipei see the temperatures stay around the average of around 16 degrees Celsius, with rainfall decreasing two-fold.
No matter what time you would choose to visit, there’s plenty to discover, enjoy and take it, but if you would like to get a peek into what the city has to offer, feel free to take a look by using one of the free webcams you can find on this site!
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