THREE MUST-SEE SIGHTS OF TAIWAN

1. LIVE THE HIGH LIFE

Shooting to the heavens in all its 508m-high glory, Taipei 101 boasts an incredible view.

The building was officially classified as the world's tallest in 2004 until the Burj Khalifa, Dubai was completed in 2010.

Ride the world-record-breaking fastest elevator (1010m/min, 60.6kph) to the 89th floor for a 360-degree view of the sprawling city below.

2. APPRECIATE THE FINER DETAILS

Taiwan’s most complete example of traditional Chinese garden architecture sprawls across a small area of the Banqiao District, New Taipei City.

Immerse yourself in the Lin Family Mansion and Garden as windows force new perspectives with each turn. A low, stone arch directs your gaze to the VIP guest house, complete with theatre across the pond.

Within 50 years, the Lin family fast became Taiwan’s richest after the rice merchants moved from mainland China in the 1700s.

3. DISCOVER A NATIONAL TREASURE

A jadeite cabbage is one of the most famous, yet unlikely, treasures among the National Palace Museum’s more than 690,000 items.

Four floors and two exhibition halls feature precious artefacts, dating back to the bronze age, which were moved to Taiwan to prevent their desecration after the Chinese Civil War.

The present-day modern facility was officially opened in 1965 after it moved to Taipei’s Shilin District in 1949.

A southern branch recently opened in Chiayi, which is worth appreciating from the outside and in.