Taiwan’s Dome of Light
I love public transport, and I particularly like trains. When you are travelling, it’s a wonderful way of seeing a slice of real life, without being insulated by car or bus windows. So on my recent visit to Taiwan, I was happy to take the metro and the long distance rail network.
Getting around Taipei is really easy on the MRT. Buy an “Easy Card” to get around without having to worry about buying tickets every time you want to travel.
One of the glass panels in the station ceiling
One thing you must not miss – if you like metro stations with a difference – is the amazing interior of the Formosa Boulevard Station in Kaohsiung City. We went there to catch the MRT to Qiaotou to visit the Ten Drum Creative Park.
With its jaw-dropping “Dome of Light”, the station claims to be among the 10 most beautiful train stations in the world. Reputed to be the largest glass work in the world, the Dome of Light was designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. It is 30 metres in diameter, and is made up of 4500 glass panels.
The Dome of Light took nearly four years to complete. It depicts the story of human life in four chronologically arranged themes: Water: The Womb of Life; Earth: Prosperity and Growth; Light: The Creative Spirit; and Fire: Destruction and Rebirth. The overall message is of love and tolerance. It’s really worth the trip on the metro just to see this!
A Glass Half Full travelled to Taiwan as a guest of Taiwan Tourism.
A Glass Half Full 
4 Responses to “Taiwan’s Dome of Light”
Absolutely wonderful. As simple as that. Must go there.
So startling and vibrant – fancy seeing that every morning on your way to work – it would inspire the colour of your day.
What a beautiful metro station! I usually use public transportation, too. So many stations are transforming dull space into art. I love it!
Yes, me too! The London Underground’s another good example…and I’m sure there are more. Why not make travelling (even to work) interesting?!