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NCCU, often abbreviated to Zhengda (政大), is Taiwan's leading national university focused on humanities and social sciences. It is large with lots of greenery and open spaces. There are hiking trails up the mountains in the back of the campus with teahouses and temples all over the hills. The campus grounds are surrounded by shops, bookstores, eateries, cafes and teahouses popular with students and scholars.
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樟山寺步道
Offers spectacular views of the Taipei basin and Taipei 101 from in front of Zhangshan Temple.
指南宮
One of the most important of Taiwan's early Taoist temples, Zhinan Temple is dedicated to main deity Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, and various other deities.
Runs from Taipei Zoo MRT station to Maokong, with stops at the Taipei Zoo South and Zhinan Temple stations. There are two types of cable cars - regular and crystal, which has a clear bottom. You have to select which type of car to board. There's no difference in ticket or price, only in waiting time. The line for the crystal cars takes much longer. However, it's not worth the wait as the view from the bottom of the crystal car is pretty much the same as the view you get from the sides of the regular car. Two bus linestaipeibus.taipei.gov.tw/index_e.htm serve the Maokong area: bus number S10, which departs from the Wanfang Community MRT Station, and bus number BR15, which can be boarded at the Taipei Zoo and Taipei City Hall MRT stations.
台北動物園
Nestled in a tight, lush valley, Taipei zoo has all the leisurely charm of a large park, but you also get the enjoyment of wandering through trees and along lanes with a variety of animals and birds. Unlike many traditional zoos, the animals here are not confined to cages, but allowed to roam freely in open paddocks, and it is a very clean and well maintained facility. However, some of the animal enclosures are small and seem over-crowded. Due to the city government's education policy, the zoo is very much an integral part of Taipei life. So much so in fact, that when an old elephant became ill and died several years ago, several generations turned up, many with tears in their eyes, to say their farewells. The zoo is popular in Taiwan for its two pandas, a gift from China. The zoo is located in the suburb of Muzha, and the entrance is just outside the terminal stop on the Muzha MRT line, 'Taipei Zoo'. Admission is quite affordable, at NT$60 for adults, and if you have a Taipei Metro EasyCard, you can pay the admission fee with that.
天恩宮
A 4-storey Taoist temple dedicated to an eclectic mix of deities.
木柵公園
If you come at the right time of year, this is a good place to see fireflies.