Grand Hotel 圓山大飯店 |
|
---|---|
General information | |
Location | 1, Chung Shan N.Rd., Sec.4, Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan |
Opening | May, 1952 (main building: October 10, 1973) |
Owner | Ministry of Transportation and Communications |
Management | Taiwan Friendship Foundation (Duen-Mou Foundation) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 12 (main building) |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Yang Cho-cheng |
Developer | Continental Engineering Corporation |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 490 (total) |
Number of restaurants | 3 |
Website | |
http://www.grand-hotel.org/ |
Coordinates: 25°4.640′N 121°31.547′E / 25.077333°N 121.525783°E
The Grand Hotel (Chinese: 圓山大飯店; pinyin: Yuánshān Dà Fàndiàn; literally: "Yuanshan Great Hotel"), is a landmark located at Yuanshan (圓山) in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. The hotel was established in May 1952 and the main building was completed on October 10, 1973. It is owned by the Duen-Mou Foundation of Taiwan, a non-profit organization, and has played host to many foreign dignitaries who have visited Taipei.
The main building of the hotel is one of the world's tallest Chinese classical buildings, it is 87 metres (285 ft) high. It was also the tallest building in Taiwan from 1973 to 1981.
After Chiang Kai-shek's retreat to Taiwan in 1949, Chiang felt it was difficult to accommodate foreign ambassadors due to the lack of five-star hotels in Taipei. He wanted to build an extravagant hotel that would cater to foreign guests. His wife Soong Mei-ling (Madame Chiang) suggested to build it on the old Taiwan Hotel on Yuanshan Mountain, the site of the ruins of the Taiwan Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine during the Japanese rule. Chiang decided on a Chinese palace-style architecture to promote Chinese culture to the West through its extravagance. Taipei-based architect Yang Cho-Cheng was responsible for the design of the new hotel.