In contrast to these scholarly views of Yushan and Taipei 101 as symbols of national sovereignty and competitiveness, the New York Times 'travel section recently featured a piece on Taipei which depicted Taipei 101 and the Hsinyi District around it as a youthful consumer's paradise. Taipei 101 can thus be seen as a softer, cultural symbol--it's open to interpretation.
不同於部分學者將高聳的玉山和台北 101 視為「代表國家威權與競爭性格的剛性象徵」，最近紐約時報週日版的旅遊版中，則介紹了台北市，並將「台北 101」和它的周邊信義計畫商圈氛圍形容為「快樂消費精神」，成為青春、軟性文化的代表，也帶出「一座 101、各自表述」的有趣話題。