I found a Taipei travel guide at the Taoyuan International Airport about places I should visit in Taipei.  Apparently, the filming locations of the hit Taiwanese movie, Monga, around the Longshan Temple MRT station is quite popular.  And why not?  The movie stars Ethan Ruan and Mark Zhao as teenage gangsters in the oldest district in Taipei, Wanhua.  The place is also known as Bangka or Monga to the locals, hence the title of the movie.  The film is set somewhere in the 80s, when cheesy Air Supply songs like Making Love Out of Nothing At All ruled.

     I re-watched Monga before coming to Taiwan because I wanted to familiarize myself with the must-see places.  If I remember correctly, Bopilao, whose architecture dates back to the Qing Dynasty, was restored, and a lot of memorable scenes from Monga were shot there, including the scene at the restaurant.  It's sort of a museum right now.  And it was thanks to Perladipace's blog that I found about the filming locations of Monga.

     So, with enthusiasm, I made my journey to Longshan Temple in search of Monga's filming locatioon.

     I first went to Bopilao. If you're facing the main entrance of the Longshan Temple, it is just on the right side past the shops that litter the streets.  Up ahead you'll find a red brick building with arched passageways at the corner of an intersection.  It's going to be at the left side of the road.  Walk along the building straight ahead until you reach the entrance.  It's free admission, but I was not able to go inside because I went there on a Monday.  And on Mondays, Bopilao is closed.  Dang it.

     At least I saw some people filming on site; the second one I've witnessed in Taipei.  I guess it's an era-piece because the actors were wearing costumes popular some decades back.  And I have a short video here:

     It is a good thing that some of the Monga film locations were shot outside Bopilao.  I found a poster on  Bopilao, a map of Monga's filming locations.   I took a photo of it and I used it as map to find the places mentioned there.  Also, before going to Wanhua, I asked the hostel staff to write down the names, in Chinese, of the temples featured in the movie and gave me directions going there.  Yes, they know the names of the temple as they all have seen Monga.  It's that popular in Taiwan.  After all, Monga was submitted as a nominee for the Oscar's Best Foreign Picture.

     So, I tracked down on foot the two other temples, aside from the Longshan Temple, in Monga.  The first one was quite easy to find because Eric from the Hostel gave me directions.  However, if what I found was not the same temple, well, then, I am very unfortunate.  Moreover, I could not remember how I got there; every now and then I'd ask someone to tell me if I'm headed the right direction.  Eric from the Hostel told me that I should only ask directions from store clerks, like in 7-11, the police...you get the drift, but not from passersby because they might be tourists like me who also do not know where to go.  Tee hee.

     This is the first temple.  I think it's called Qingshui Temple, or something.  It was about 15 to 20 minutes on foot from Bopilao.  I was walking really slow because I was afraid I might miss my landmarks.  If I remember correctly, my landmarks were a grade school, a pedestrian overpass, and a gas station.  And yes, the temple was almost deserted, and I felt really weird taking the temple's pictures; like a voyeur.  Hehe.

     Anyway, the first temple was the one more prominently used throughout the film.  It was present from start to finish.  After all, this is the home turf of the gang.

     The second temple was quite a challenge.  I had to return to Longshan Temple because my directions start from there but I could not find the second temple. I think I was walking farther and farther away from the second temple my first time trying to find it.  I was able to reach a place where there are flyovers on a really big road.  But hey, after 30 minutes or so, I found the second temple. And guess what?  It was really near the Longshan Temple!  I was just stupid.  I was like, OMG!  I wasted energy, walked under the sun and looked like a complete mess.

     Good grief!  But here it is, the second temple and it's called Mengjia Qingshan Temple.  I think this is the more popular temple of the two because, first, they were more people in the Qingshan Temple.  Second, there are a lot of signs pointing to the temple (but I couldn't follow them properly that is why I got a little lost). Third, it was more grandiose from the outside.

     While looking for the Qingshan Temple, I was able to find the Herb Alley.  Lucky me!  It was just behind the Longshan Temple if I am not mistaken.

     And of course, I have photos of the Huaxi Night Market where the huge gang fight culminated in the movie.

     I was not able to find the Snake Alley and the narrow alley where some of the smaller fights in the movie occurred.  I was too exasperated by the time I got back to Longshan Temple, and it was midday already, so I wrapped-up my Monga movie location hunting.

     If you want a primer or brochure for the Monga filming locations, use this one I just found over the internet.  I think this is the brochure I was looking for but did not find at the Longshan Temple MRT Station.  It's in PDF but here's the link: http://www.taipeitravel.net/UserFiles/File/MONGA_ENG.pdf

     Probably, I would not have gotten lost if I had that brochure when I went to Monga.

         

     After our Danshui Joyful Life Tour, my tour guides and I rushed to the Beitou MRT station to meet a French male tourist.  But alas!  We ran in late and when we arrived, the French guy apparently joined another tour.  We were just ten minutes late and the French guy thought that the guides bailed out on him.   So, I was the only tourist, too, for the afternoon tour.

     The guides were supposed to bring me to Yangmingshan and to the Calla Lily Festival.  However, another guide told us that she just got out from the mountain and it was really, really traffic.  After all, it was a Sunday, the last weekend before the Flora Festival ends and the last day for the Calla Lily Festival.  So, after much pondering, and not wanting to be stuck in traffic without actually seeing anything, I decided to pick an alternative tour, and I chose the NTU Education tour.  My guides were not really knowledgeable about the tour since their specialty lies with the National Museum and Yangmingshan tours, but what the heck.  I've been to most of the places on the free tours program and really, I have not been to anywhere along the MRT green line where the NTU is located.  So, to NTU we go!

     For most people, National Taiwan University is known as one of Taiwan's best universities.  But for fans of Meteor Garden, NTU provides one of the most recognizable places of the series, the palm-tree lined path leading to the fictional Yingde University, aptly known as the Royal Palm Boulevard.   So, I was more than happy to see the campus.  Teehee.

     The National Taiwan University has sprawling grounds.  You really need to use a bicycle, or a car, to go around the campus.  You can, of course, just walk from the gate to that huge building in the horizon and beyond.  But if you're a student, you might run late getting to your classes.

     As to places of interest, the NTU has a lot to offer.  Just to the right from the gates near the MRT exit, you could see a Parthenon-like architecture, or something, which seems unusual, amidst a classical garden. It's really pretty in it's white, marbled glory, at least I think it's made of marble.  But, it's also creepy, too, considering that the structure houses the grave of NTU's First President, Mr. Fu Si-Nian. In short, it's a mausoleum. Anyway, the garden itself is named after Fu Si Nian.

     We rounded up a part of the campus grounds from the gates near the MRT exit and I've found out that NTU is a favorite  location for photo shoots.  We've seen a couple having their prenup pictorial, which is hugely popular in Taiwan, there.

     Other places of interest includes the Fu Bell and the Main Library, among others.  Definitely, architecture buffs will be delighted to tour the campus.  And what do you know?  There's a farm on campus and an ecological pond (Liugongjun Pool)!  Although I wasn't able too see it, there's another pond called the Drunken Moon Lake, which despite its crazy name, is reputedly a very lovely and romantic lake, especially at night.

 Main Library

 Inside the library.  Reminds me of UST Main Library.

 Red bricks and archways of the Main Library.

     Here's a map of NTU for your reference (click on the photo for full resolution):

     In part 2 of my NTU tour, I'd show you where to buy two of the most famous treats on campus as well as how to spend a weekend afternoon like a local.

     My story is still about the Gold Ecological Museum and the attractions within the compound.  This time, I'd be taking you around some of the shooting locations of one my my favorite Taiwanese idol dramas, Corner with Love starring Show Luo and Da S, including the Four Joined Japanese-Style Residences

     While researching for places to go to in Taiwan, I came upon this blog which became my quasi-guide about Taiwan.  In fact, I wanted to go to all the places she featured in her blog, and I planned going to some of those places.  Like the Gold Ecological Park, the Monga shooting locations and of course, up in Yangmingshan to see the Calla Lily Festival.  Sadly, I was not able to go to the last one, and the museum for the Monga shooting locations was closed when I went there.

     Anyway, it was from the Perladipace's blog that I came to know that Show Luo's house in the Corner with Love is actually the Four-Joined Houses in Gold Ecological Museum, and that his grandmother's food stall is located somewhere near the area.  I was like, "jackpot!"  So, because of that, I decided to go to Jinguashi!  Yay!

     The Four Joined Japanese-Style Residences at the Gold Ecological Museum is the first attraction you'd find there.  The houses were so pretty that I took pictures in and out; I was like house-stalking but I didn't care.  I love the Four Joined residences so, so much and I'm thankful for those people and institutions who made its restoration possible.

     Since I came in early, I circled the area first and took photos of the Four-Joined Houses in all angles and from different vantage points.  It was quite fun, actually.  When it was time for the Four-Joined Houses to open (it's now a museum), I came in, and the friendly staff told me to sit and watch the video presentation.  The video was about the history of the Four-Joined Houses and the efforts put into restoring the place.  Knowing the history made me feel a certain attachment and reverence to the houses and to those who restored them.  Simply astounding.

     Because I have a short memory, I forgot when the Four Joined residences re-opened, but it was only recently, like in 2007 or 2008 only.  After the film showing, our guide, a middle-aged Taiwanese woman, took us around the house, narrating bits and pieces of history while at it. 

     Anyway, the tour was quick but packed with information, most of which already escaped my mind.  I remember the dont's of the place, though, like: 1) Don't use flash to preserve the house and the items inside; 2) Don't step on the sliders on the floor (the ones where the doors slide); and 3) Don't walk with heavy steps.

     Aside from all those "Dont's," the furnishings of the house triggered the memories when I was little.  It reminded me much of the furnishings and things found in my grandparents' house, even the water thermos and the sewing machine. 

     Anyway, I wanted to live at the Four Joined residences.  It's very, very pretty and calm and even the small back garden's a beauty.

     As for Show Luo's grandmother's food stall in Corner with Love, it's part of the alfresco dining area of a restaurant nearby.  It's where I took my lunch, too.