July 9, 2023
In a zoom call, my father expressed interest in the Taipei Botanical Garden. In particular, he wondered whether it had plants from around the world, or just Taiwan. I told him I’d visit, although botanic gardens are not really my interest.
The above map shows the Taipei Botanical Garden circled in red, just to the west of the old city.
A closeup of the map.
The night before, I was awoken around 12:30am by a International House-wide fire alarm. Still half asleep, I stumbled down four stories without my walking-stick and out into the hot night. The fire turned out to be a false alarm, but I couldn’t get back to sleep, so the next morning I was a little grumpy.
Sunday, July 9th was a fine day, not a cloud in the sky, but very hot – the temperature was 33 degrees at 9am (I checked it at the primary school across the road from the cafe where I had breakfast).
From Xiaonanmen MRT Station (the translation is “Little South Gate”) I walked south along Bo-ai Road, and entered the Taipei Botanical Garden (above, in the top centre of the map) in the Bo-ai Road gate.
I had half expected a park, like the Sydney Botanic Garden, but the Taipei Botanical Garden is dense forest, alternating with ponds, and footpaths (above). There are signs everywhere, plenty of seats, and overall a high standard of care.
According to the Tourism Bureau, the Taipei Botanical Garden was founded in 1921, under the Japanese administration. During World War II the garden was deserted, but post-war it was invigorated, and now the garden has become popular for Taipei citizens. There are 17 districts and 9 ponds. The garden is next to the National History Museum, Science Museum and Art Museum.
A YouTube clip about the Taipei Botanical Garden. Warning – it’s 35 minutes, so a little long.
I went to have a look at the National Museum of History (above). Unfortunately, you can’t enter that building, as it’s closed for renovation.
The view over the pond is very nice, though.
Another view of the park. I was surprised to learn that “Taiwan is a hotspot for biodiversity. One out of four plants is endemic. “
There were signs everywhere explaining the different features of plants, very often in technical detail. You would love it, Dad.
Undiscovered Taipei says: “According to plant classification system and characteristics, each area of the Botanical Garden is presented under a different theme, and explanatory signs are set up for each exotic flower and rare herb for visitors. These areas include: Lotus Pond, Chinese Zodiac Garden, Succulent Plants Garden, Fern Garden, Poetry and Literature Garden, Ethno-Plants Garden, Arecaceae Garden, etc”. So that answers your question, Dad.
There is one other garden – but I’ll get to that later.
There are some trees that have enormous buttress roots, similar to the buttress roots on figs in Sydney.
There are some peculiar features to these gardens. For instance, I found a garden on Buddhist flora (above). There is also a garden on plants that have been mentioned in ancient Chinese writing, so you can cross-check a passage in the works of Du Fu in the 8th century with a tree in that garden.
I wanted to visit the Guest House of Imperial Envoys Museum, (above) a building constructed in 1882, the only Qing-dynasty office in Taiwan. It originally was the residential quarters for Qing officials on their supervisory visits. Of course, it’s under renovation as well, hence that wall.
I did manage to photograph the exterior by balancing my mobile phone on top of said wall.
When checking the map set up in the Taipei Botanical Garden I noticed an area marked -“Australia garden”! I eventually found it, a small patch tucked away, but with an identifying sign (above).
My heart swelled with pride, seeing a completely ordinary eucalypt (above, centre) growing there amid the alien surroundings.
Unfortunately, by this stage, the heat and the humidity was too much for me. I was sweating so hard I looked as if someone had thrown a bucket of water over me, and I felt light-headed, the warning signs of heat exhaustion. So I left the Taipei Botanical Garden, going back out of the Bo-ai Road gate.
Wandering Richard 