Grand Hotel Taipei’s 2nd secret passage opens to public

TAIPEI (The China Post) — Following the secret underground passage on the west side, Grand Hotel Taipei has opened another passage on the east side to the public on Thursday.

The Grand Hotel said that after more than a year of planning and renovation projects, the secret passage has been opened to the public with limited guided tours each day.

Due to limited service capacity, the secret passage will open up in stages, which is expected to bring a new whirlwind of national tourism.

According to the operator, the secret passages on the east and west sides were planned when the hotel’s main building was built in 1970. The passages were seen as emergency escape routes designed for then-President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正).

A German-American engineer who had participated in the bunker’s construction in World War II was specially recruited to work on the construction project.

The secret passage on the west side was first opened in September 2019, and the number of visitors reached 170,000 in 2020.

Later, a larger plan was carried out to renovate and activate the passage on the east side.

The operator said the secret passage entrance is located on the first floor underground, with a total length of 69 meters and 85 steps.

The secret passage is specially designed to bend circuitously to avoid enemies and bullets.

In addition to reinforced concrete, the passage features uneven cement walls which aim to enhance the sound absorption effect.

The secret passage on the east side leads to the shrine’s site built during the Japanese rule era. The site has been transformed into a secret garden.

At the end of the secret garden is the former residence of Kung Ling-wei , the first general manager of the Grand Hotel.

Kung Ling-wei was the daughter of former fist lady Soong Mei-ling’s elder sister Soong Ai-ling.

The former residence preserved Kung’s items and displayed the important cultural relics of the Grand Hotel.

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