kidzone-tw: Taipei National University of the Arts

2/20/2011

Taipei National University of the Arts - Taipei's Peitou District

One of the complaints people from overseas have about Taiwan is the lack of greenery in the cities. An option for those of us whom enjoy taking children for walks in the trees is to visit the beautiful university campuses that are open to the public. Taipei National University of the Arts in Peitou is one such campus.

Like so many places, the children and I discovered this one by accident. I had set the GPS to the robot museum, and it led me to No. 1 on the street instead of No. 2. I got a ticket from the car parking system and drove into the campus. What a wonderful sight! Water buffalo chomping away on the lawn, Nissan Marches suspended from poles or turned into monsters, and magical-looking paths leading up the hills were just three of the wonders we happened upon. We parked in one of the on-street car parks and wandered around the campus. With the view of the city far below us, it was like finding another world.

Sculptures dot the area, giving children something to explore. There is also an art museum and bookstore, and several cafes (indoor and outdoor) that are open to the public. It must be a lively place during the academic term.

For those families wanting to give children the pleasure of dancing through autumn leaves, this is a great place to go. The beautiful oranges and reds shine through the winter sky and scatter the ground. There is a path my children pretended was the road to Oz, as it wound up the hill between a corridor of trees. There is also a short hiking trail running along the hill parallel to the public road; it has a false sense of excitement and danger for children but adults can feel confident their little ones are safe.

Of course, once you have enjoyed this campus, you can continue up the hill to the university hosting the Robot Museum. That campus is also very pretty, although somewhat steeper than the one for the arts. My children loved looking at the tree sculptures. We imagined we were in Alice in Wonderland. There is a drinks machine on campus and my children were delighted to sit and have a drink in the little garden at the front entrance of the administration building. You could also use the soccer field there, although it says the basketball courts at the back of the campus are for students and faculty only.