Maokong Village

By Chanrithy Kouch, Foster Undergraduate studying Finance and CISB. Chanrithy is currently participating in an exchange with NCCU in Taipei, Taiwan.

An estimated 7-minute bus ride from the so-swarming school district of National Chengchi University lies the hidden mountain village of Maokong village. Whenever I feel stressed or too short of breath from all the rushing of crowds, and the workload of assignments, I grab and pack my bag up with a few items, then go up to the Maokong mountain.

To get on the mountain, one can simply arrive at the Maokong Gondola station by bus from the NCCU bus stop and take the Gondola up the mountain. On the way, you can already sense the relief from the city life, and put yourself in nature once again in a long while. Once you reach the top of the mountain, you can see the entire Taipei city, spot the Taipei 101 tower, and involve yourself with the small restaurants, and souvenir shops on there. You get to put away all stress away for this time; at least for a good while. This is one of my best and sincere recommendations to those who can’t make the time to go too far out from Taipei because of time constraint. So this place can fulfill your goal to enjoy some nearby nature sightseeing and relaxation, if you do ever feel so clustered up in the school zone.