I’ve been trying to fathom Taipei:  a new culture to me; offshore; a cultural mix of Chinese and Japanese; the centre for the manufacture of semi-conductors; half the billionaires at dinner last night were Taiwanese; it has apparently retained more of its old architecture than Shanghai; a population of over 20 million; safe; no litter on the streets. I look out from my hotel room across the city towards Taipei 101, which was the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010. Built in the style of a pagoda:-