Looking down from airliners about to land at Taipei's International Airport, first time visitors to Taiwan invariably are attracted by the sight of a cluster of multi-colored buildings perched on a small green hill on the northern edge of the city. "It must be a palace!" they often exclaim.
A palace it is—in a sense. It was home to Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, the Shah of Iran, when he visited free China in May of 1958. It housed Jordan's young and handsome King Hussein for eight days in March of 1959. It has accommodated the great of the Philippines, President and Mrs. Carlos Garcia in May, 1960, and then Vice President and Mrs. Diosdado Macapagal in December of the same year. Other chiefs of state who have been guests include, in the order of their visits, President Eisenhower of the United States, President and Madame Manuel Prado y Ugarteche of Peru, President and Madame Philibert Tsiranana of the Malagasy Republic, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand, and President and Madame Hubert Maga of Dahomey.
But it is not a palace for kings and presidents alone; it is open to every honorable guest of the Republic of China—and at astonishingly low rates for luxurious rooms, outstanding food, and the finest service. It is the Grand Hotel of Taipei.
Hotel of Spaciousness
"The Grand", as foreign visitors like to call it, has out-of-the-ordinary features that have made it a combination government guest house, palace museum, tourist attraction, display center for Chinese craftsmanship, and perhaps the best hotel in the Orient.
The newest wing of the sprawling Grand is the fabulous Chi-lin Pavilion, added in 1963 at a cost of nearly US$1 million. Named for the unicorn of Chinese myth, the Chi-lin Pavilion has 65 rooms and five suites, including a presidential suite which is also fit for an emperor.
From its famed marble staircase facing the entrance to the "Bridge of the Magpies" which links it with other wings of the hotel, the Chi-lin Pavilion is filled with exquisite examples of Chinese painting, woodwork, fabrics, sculpture, rug weaving, and furniture making. The National Palace Museum of China gave permission for one of its master-pieces to be reproduced on a wall of the convention hall.
"All this place needs is a throne and an emperor to make it into an honest-to-goodness modern Oriental palace," a Western tourist remarked.
To those who have visited the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Peiping, the ancient Chinese architectural designs—in gold and red lacquer—of the Chi-lin exterior will be familiar. Within are fine furniture, ornate ceilings, marble balustrades, two life-size marble lions, and delicately carved partitions and screens. All are from Chinese architects, designers, decorators, and artisans who have combined Chinese palace splendor with modern conveniences. Wash basins, for example, are of lovely Taiwan marble. The huge wash basin in the presidential suite was carved from black marble that originated in the famed quarries of Taroko Gorge on Taiwan's scenic east coast.
But above and beyond the interior beauty of the Grand, the hotel's major attraction to many is—space. The Grand has four major wings—the main building, the Golden Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Chi-lin Pavilion. There are 156 rooms in all. This is not large, as modem hotels go. That is the point. The up-hill, down-dale hotel is set on 12 acres of land. It is more like a park than a hotel. In a lovely setting are tennis courts, a swimming pool, planetarium, outdoor bandstand, and movie theater. The views are of city and mountains, of green paddies and the airport in the distance. The people of Taipei go to the Grand grounds as to a park. The Grand Hotel Recreation Club is a community center and meeting place for Chinese and foreigners. Employing 375 persons, the hotel can serve some 600 diners at a time. Nine hundred tourists from the S.S. Flavia were guests at luncheon April 27, 1963; the ship's captain marveled at the efficiency of the staff.
Gold, red, and royal blue designs are painted directly on woodwork or on plastered walls. (File photo)
Unique History
As befits its setting and its decor, the Grand has a storybook history.
On the site was located the most sacred shrine of Taiwan during the Japanese occupation period. That was from the end of the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895 to the conclusion of World War II in 1945. The island went to Japan as part of the spoils of war under the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
On September 13, 1900, Emperor Mei-ji of Japan decreed the establishment of the Taiwan Jinzia (Shinto shrine) for the worship of three gods—Okunitama-no-mikoto, god of a newly founded nation; Okuninushi-no mikoto, god of generosity and power and the youngest son of Susano-no-mikoto; and Sukunahikona-no-mikoto, the one-inch-tall god of wisdom—and the late Prince Yoshihisa, commander-in-chief of the Japanese occupation forces in Taiwan, who died at Tainan in the southern part of the island October 28, 1895.
This shrine occupied what is now the entrance, lounge, and snack bar area of the Grand. Immediately behind the shrine and reached by 27 broad stone steps was a hall containing the sacred books and writings of the priests; this area is now occupied by the Golden Dragon wing.
During the early stages of World War II, the shrine attracted officials and other Japanese who offered thanks for protection and prayed for victory. Then came September of 1944 and the start of the Allied bombings of Taiwan. With the fortunes of war already decided and the popularity of Shinto waning, the shrine lost its influence. From V-J Day through late 1946, the shrine grounds were neglected. Chinese sovereignty had been restored and the Japanese were gone.
The governor, Wei Tao-ming, realized the need for a hotel to accommodate visiting foreigners and visiting dignitaries from down island. The Taiwan Travel Company (Taiwan Travel Service since 1948), a government enterprise then under the Provincial Department of Communications, began rebuilding and adding to shrine structures in June of 1947. Early in 1948 the first wing of the Grand was completed: 33 rooms, lobby, dining room and kitchen.
However, the hotel did not live up to its initial promise. The growing city of Taipei still didn't have a first-class hostelry. Newspapers, magazines, and travelers grumbled.
First Lady Helps
Madame Chiang Kai-shek did something about it. Recognizing the urgency of the need, the First Lady took a personal interest in the Grand's rehabilitation. At her request, Mrs. Sue Buol, an American who had been secretary to General Claire Chennault of Flying Tiger fame, took up the task of supervising the remodeling and redecoration of the hotel and improvement of the grounds. This was in May, 1952. Funds initially were appropriated by the Provincial Government.
The swimming pool, dressing rooms, and terrace were opened in August. Painting and refurnishing of the main building took almost eight months. Every sort of housekeeping item was needed and most had to be imported. Wiring and plumbing were replaced. The kitchen was re-equipped. Much of the Spartan furniture was replaced.
By Christmas Day, 1952, the hotel had acquired a new look. At last it was first-class.
The Grand Hotel Recreation Club was organized to lease and manage hotel recreational facilities. The board of directors is made up of eight Chinese appointed by the Provincial Government and eight foreigners chosen from the community. In recent years, foreign board members have been elected by the membership. The incumbent chairman is Dominican Ambassador Jose Villanueva.
In 1953 a summer kitchen and band-stand were built and tennis courts constructed. The Club Terrace facilities were opened for both GHRC members and hotel guests.
Golden Dragon
On December 9, 1954, construction began on the air-conditioned Club Room that extends from the hotel dining room. It opened five months later.
As the demand for hotel rooms mounted, various expansions were undertaken. A small Japanese-style building formerly used by Shinto priests as a residence was converted into two spacious suites in 1954.
With funds loaned by the Bank of Taiwan, construction began on the Golden Dragon buildings. This addition of 32 rooms and 4 suites was opened June 22, 1956. The symbol of the annex is a gilded bronze dragon that surmounts a pond stocked with exotic fish. It is situated in the center of the lobby.
Later in 1956 six suites were converted out of another former priests' residence. By this time, the Grand had 75 rooms and eight suites accommodating 144 persons.
Fifteen months later the Jade Phoenix Pavilion was opened. It added 19 rooms and one suite.
Outstanding Design
Both the Golden Dragon and the Jade Phoenix were designed by Taiwan architect C.c. Yang, who ranks among the world's best in Chinese palace-style architecture. He was therefore a natural choice to supervise construction of the unique Chi-lin Pavilion, which has come to be known as the "grandest of the Grand".
A native of Fengjen county in Hopei province, 50-year-old Yang, whose offices are in Taipei, is as well known overseas as in Taiwan. A graduate of the Southwestern Associated University of Kunming and a civil engineering major, he also designed the China Pavilion at the recent New York World's Fair. He is designing another China Pavilion for the 1967 Montreal World Fair. His other works include the Taipei American School, Moslem Mosque of Taipei, the Taipei International Airport Terminal, and the 330-room President Hotel in Taipei.
Besides its palatial buildings, the Grand offers the best in both Western and Chinese cuisines in its several dining rooms. A coffee shop in the lobby of the main building is open 24 hours. There are shops, barbers and beauticians, and every other service known to a great hostelry. The kitchen caters for Civil Air Transport (CAT) flights as well as for local residents and club members.
Ever since its inception in 1948, the Grand Hotel has been Taiwan's finest. Many new hotels have been built since and others are yet to open. But the Grand is the "grand dame" of them all—and the one that is always full. Reservations must be booked weeks and sometimes months in advance. The hotel and its grounds are a landmark and a prize possession of Taiwan province and its free people. There are hotels and hotels, but only one Grand.