Grand Hotel, Palace-style hotel in Zhongshan District, Taiwan.
The Grand Hotel is a palace-style accommodation in Zhongshan District, Taiwan, that rises 87 meters high across 14 floors and stands before Yangming Mountain. Red columns support the curved roof with gilded tiles, while lanterns and carved wooden panels decorate the corridors.
Construction started in 1952 following Chiang Kai-shek's directive to accommodate foreign ambassadors, and the main building was completed on October 10, 1973. Over the decades, extensions were added and after a fire in 1995, parts of the complex were renewed.
The name reflects the ambition to create Asia's largest accommodation, and each floor carries furniture and ornaments from a different Chinese dynasty. The corridors display wall paintings, calligraphy and ceramics that guide travelers through the eras and make the craftsmanship tangible.
The building operates regular shuttle buses to MRT Yuanshan Station and offers 487 rooms with Chinese and Western furnishings. Visitors can freely enter the lobby and public areas, and the structure is best admired from the forecourt during daylight.
The structure contains underground tunnels originally designed as air-raid shelters and discovered during repairs after a fire in 1995. These passages run beneath the entire complex and lead to exits on the hillside that now serve as emergency escapes.
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