By Nancy T. Lu/ Taiwan news, Staff Writer

Nowadays the people of Taipei look up and feel really proud of Taipei 101. Respondents in a recent poll, in fact, voted it as the landmark most representative of the city today. Many, therefore, welcome their friends from far and wide by taking them there.

Shopping at the Taipei 101 is a satisfying experience especially for well-heeled fashionistas, who enjoy checking out the upscale boutiques of all the major international fashion brands and labels. Some of these shops carry exclusive items not available in other branches in Taipei. The Taipei 101 Shopping Mall is visited by 10,000 to 20,000 people per day. Page One, a big bookstore which boasts the largest number of English-language titles in Taiwan, is one of its attractions. Jasons Market Place, which opened in November 2003, offers a selection of premium beef, international grocery items, and wines like no other place does. The food court in the basement provides a good variety of eating options for the daily crowd in the booming Xinyi District. More elegant dining outlets will shortly open on the 85th to 88th floors to serve Chinese and Italian cuisines. If it takes less than an hour on average to check out the aerial view of Taipei and its environs from the observatory, another two to three hours at least are needed for shopping in one of the best malls in Asia.

The shopping mall gets visited by 10,000 to 20,000 people per day./ Photo courtesy of Taipei 101

The Taipei 101 Shopping Mall has long run out of space to rent out to tenants. The waiting list of those seeking to move in is getting longer each day.
Meanwhile, the office tower has seen mostly multinational companies moving in for prestige and convenience. The Taiwan Stock Exchange (9th to 12th floors), Taiwan Bayer (53rd and 54th floors), Winterthur, L'Oreal, ABN-AMRO, and Cosmos Bank are some of them.

Close to Taipei 101 in the bustling Xinyi District are convenient places to meet friends, watch movie or shop for a presents./Photo courtesy of information dept. of Taipei City Government

Taipei 101 lords it over the Xinyi District, celebrated nowadays as the happening world for business and pleasure. Within walking distance are the Taipei World Trade Center's three exhibition halls, where trade fairs are held almost the whole year round. The Taipei International Convention Center is just a stone's throw away. Next door, too is one of the city's most luxurious hotels -- the Grand Hyatt Taipei. The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store nearby has expanded to include several buildings. New York New York and the Warner Cinema Village continue to buzz with people coming and going every day. They meet to catch the latest hit movie, to relax while drinking at a favorite pub, or to simply shop for a gift for a special someone.

Eslite, the popular bookshop chain, just opened its biggest store within viewing distance of Taipei 101. Store hours are until 2 a.m.
The Novel Hall for Performing Arts, with state-of-the-art facilities inside the Chinatrust Building, has really special programs from time to time. Right next to it is the Taipei City Hall, and a bit farther is the Taipei City Council.
The entire Xinyi District with Taipei 101 at its center comes together, bursting with energy and vitality to make the visit of every tourist to the area unforgettable.