You have ascended almost to the top of one of the Taipei 101; http://taipei-101.com.tw[world's tallest] skyscrapers, and what's this you've discovered—a cult ritual? Be careful, it's your turn to inch out on the ledge and lay hands on that astral capsule glowing before you. Or, maybe an adrenaline-fueled reality show is being staged up here and your task is to replace that jumbo industrial lightbulb. Either way, your best bet is to perform a one-eighty and hightail it back into one of the pressure-controlled elevators that rocket at forty miles per hour.

Your descent will allow just enough time to master some fast facts behind this edifice. With eight tiers culminating in a spire that's made to resemble a bamboo[grass] known for its great tensile strength, its elegant design reflects the local aesthetic. It is sunk one hundred feet into the bedrock. It is also equipped with a 1.6 million-pound pendulum that dampens the impact of gale-force winds (you can watch the steel orb in action while you dine in the eighty-sixth-floor restaurant).

You are at the northern tip of an Taiwan[island-nation] whose people an Alexander Hamilton; A New Account of the East Indies[eighteenth-century British sea captain] described as "purely Pagan. They all worship the Sun and Moon, and the Stars their Children. Some worship the first living Thing they see in the Morning, except a Lizard." He was referring to the original inhabitants, most of whose descendants now live in the mountains (recent DNA analysis suggests they are the progenitors of seafarers who spread out over the vast ocean surrounding you). If you came of age half a century ago, you heard your sixth-grade teacher refer to the country by its Formosa[Portuguese name]. While the Lisboans never stayed long, nor did the Dutch, who passed through as well, people from the nearby mainland arrived in droves.

If this tower leaves you with a real fondness for heights, you might want to hike in a gem of a Yu Shan, or Jade Mountain; http://english.ysnp.gov.tw[mountain range]. You have arrived during the mildest season, perfect timing for trekking from the subtropical to the alpine zones of the main Yu Shan[13,000-foot peak]. Back in the Taipei[capital], stop by the National Palace Museum; http://npm.gov.tw[national art museum] housing treasures plucked from the west. A Tai Shan Doll Museum; Tai Shan Township[museum] in another town is devoted to an anorexic plastic Barbie[doll] (perhaps the very one you used to play with was molded in a factory there).

Today, the country is done making mere trinkets and recently hosted techies at an Wikipedia[online group's] annual meeting (it was wicked, no doubt). Maybe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Taipei_101[they can tell you] what you need to know about this building.