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National Taichung Theater
If you see the entire world as a river, then I want my buildings to be like a whirlpool.
Architect Toyo Ito
If National Taichung Theater is a whirlpool then we are like a jet of water shooting up from within it, using performance to reinvigorate the arts in central Taiwan.
National Taichung Theater Artistic Director WANG Wen-yi -
Calligraphy Greenway
Calligraphy Greenway comes in 3.6 kilometers, ranging north from National Museum of Natural Science to National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in the south. It’s an urban space structure shaped in a kind of long and wide stripe. Along the stripped space, National Museum of Natural Science, Civil Square, Park Lane by CMP, gallery space, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and food court are gathered here to offer a variety of merry events, activities, etc., upbeat spirits, fun in all forms. That’s why this urban space is named Calligraphy Greenway owing to that the atmosphere, tempo, and movement of those events within it are free, flexible that’s just like the cursive writing of Chinese calligraphy.
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Yizhong Street
Great shops and restaurant surrounding the Taichung Yi Zhong High school, affordable foods and shopping experience are main gathering point for students, tourists and local people, its vast variouty and distintive shops and restaurant are getting more popular each day.
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Shen Ji New Village
Sheng Ji New Village (審計新村 [shen ji xing tswun]) is another artisan-stall filled village with lots of Instagram (IG) worthy stores, cafes and more. The buildings are refurbished dormitories, and is now a popular tourist destination for tourists, especially Taiwanese people who just have to have strong IG game. Other than stalls, the village also had a lot of really artsy themed stores.
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Taichung City Second Market
The 100-year-old Taichung City Second Market is located on Sanmin Road and Taiwan Boulevard. It was a place of pricy extravagant merchandise in the Japanese colonial period.
The center of the market is marked by a historic hexagon architecture. In early times, it was an important market where daily commodities were gathered and distributed. Due to the wide variety of goods, vendors were placed in different sections in the hexagon layout.
The Second Market is also a place where you can find delicious local food of Taichung. Some of the iconic traditional deliciousness that can be traced back to generations ago include braised pork belly with rice, white jute, mushroom and meat soup, black tea, noodles, etc. Any food vendor you find in the market is probably a gourmet-certified eatery. It is the place to visit for some traditionally flavored Taichung snacks. -
Stock 20 Art Gallery
In the summer of 1998, formal Cultural Affairs Bureau rented 20 - 26 warehouse from Taiwan railway, after careful renavation and rename it to「Stock 20 Art Gallery」，no. 22 to 26 provide free creative are space for the arties, no. 20 to 21 warehouse are turned into exhibition center, theater and cafe. The reborn of Stock 20 Art Gallery, gives a great heritage of culture and art, you are welcome to sit heere, enjoy the caffee and be touched by the great cultural heritage.
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Taichung Park
Taichung Park is the oldest park in Taichung city. Built in the Japanese-ruling era and with a space of 10 acres, the park base at that time was the garden, named Ruixuan and actually donated by the Lin family in Wufeng, together with the old Beimen Building. Taichung Park features many pretty landscapes, such an artificial lake, pavilion, arch bridge, etc. There are also lots of recreational equipments, like outdoor stadium, playground, and tennis court. Some extraordinary European-style building and Houxing Pavilion were constructed in 1908 in celebration of the launch of the Taiwan Railway stretching from north to south in Taiwan. Houxing Pavilion has also been the symbol of Taichung City since the Japanese-ruling era and it’s hence officially declared as a city-designated historical site in 1999.
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The Forth Credit Cooperation
Old bank transformed into a 3-story cafe restaurant, with an amazing ice cream shop on the ground floor. Many interesting flavors including multiple tea and coffee flavors as well as great toppings.
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Miyahara
Situated nearby Taichung Train Station on the bank of Luchuan, Miyahara is a red-brick architecture built by Miyahara Takeo, a Japanese ophthalmology doctor in 1927. It was the largest ophthalmology clinic in Taichung during the Japanese colonial period. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, Miyahara became Taichung Health Bureau. As time passed by, the suspended Health Bureau slowly decayed and became an unused dangerous building.
Fortunately, Dawn Cake, a pastry company renowned for its pineapple cakes, acquired the building and preserved Miyahara's original red-brick walls and archway. The interior decor was redesigned like Hogwarts in the movie Harry Potter. The water well in the middle of the building is redecorated into a modern-looking fundraising box made of glass.
Visitors to Miyahara are not only recommended to appreciate the details of the historic architecture but also try Dawn Cake’s signature ice cream, bubble tea and pastries wrapped in nostalgic packings! -
Chung Hua Night Market
Chung Hua Night Market is filled with many old Taiwanese snack stands. It has over 40 years of history. Some of the vendors have gone through many generations. In the meantime, it is the biggest old night market in Taichung City. Many snack stands are scattered around on Chung Hua Road. You can find everything here. There are also unique snacks, such as snakes and turtles. There are the Rixin and Global movie theater, and Wonderful Cinemas for second round movies, which provide you with different movie choices.
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Taichung Liu-Yuan Presbyterian Church
The Liu-Yuan Presbyterian Church is the first church built in Taichung and the city’s only surviving church constructed before Taiwan’s retrocession. The old building, a Basilica-type Christian church featuring a Romanesque exterior with Gothic elements, places great emphasis on providing sufficient lighting and good visibility, making it an excellent example of traditional Christian churches. It also incorporates certain Chinese elements into its architectural features. Its combination of historical and spatial attributes make it unique among modern-day churches in Taiwan. In recent years, the church was restored and turned into a place for meetings and church gatherings, making it a classic example of the preservation and re-purposing of historical buildings in Taiwan.
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Taichung State Government
Taichung State Government is a government building still in use designed by Moriyama Matsunosuke in the Japanese colonial period. The Taipei State Government (now the Control Yuan) and Tainan State Government (now National Museum of Taiwan Literature) are works of the Japanese architect as well.
It is easily accessible and convenient as it situates nearby Taichung Railway Station, modern shopping district and traditional old street. The state government building along with the subordinating complexes are designated as historic buildings.
The state government building is a French mansard-style architecture featuring a two-story L-shape floor plan. The architecture faces east with a tower structure in the middle. The entrance on the ground level is adorned with Doric columns, while the second floor is constructed with ionic columns. The inward balcony design is to enhance the shading effect on the facade.
After appreciating the extravagant architectural details of Taichung State Government, you can also stop by the neighboring Taichung Shiyakusho for some afternoon tea! -
WanChuan Temple
It's a small temple in the middle of the old town which claims to be built in 1721 and is now ~300 years old.
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Chang Hwa Bank Headquarter and Museum
The over 100-year-old Chang Hwa Bank Headquarter in Taichung is located at Taiwan Boulevard and Ziyou Road intersection. It is built during the Japanese rule. The architectural design is of Greek and Roman style with pillared hallway, spectacular overall exterior and exquisite technics in details. Chang Hwa Bank is the first bank in Taiwan that is financed by the people instead of government. The cultural and research value is extremely prominent. It has long been a well known landmark of Taichung and was designated as a city monument. The headquarter remains its operation while the second floor preserves records and historical accounts as a bank museum. Visitors should make a reservation for tours.
High Speed Rail Taichung Station, located in Wuri District in Taichung City, is also dubbed as HSR Wuri Station. Unlike some of the other HSR stations, the surrounding areas of Taichung station is not as commercially vigorous. Instead, noted chain restaurants and souvenir stores stationed inside the station attract crowds who are actually not here to commute on their day-offs. -
Taichung Station
New Taichung Train Station situated behind the original station officially opened on October 16, 2016. It features a simple and modern architectural design and is equipped with escalators, elevators and other facilities.
In addition to the elevation of five existing stations on the route from Fengyuan to Daqing, five more elevated new local stations, Liling, Toujiacu, Songzhu, Jingwu and Wuquan were built to enable passengers to commute or travel in Taichung more conveniently. Furthermore, the century-old railway system will be connected to the high speed rail system as Daqing and Songzhu Stations will directly link the green line of Taichung Metro in the future. -
Taichung Liuchuan Canal Waterfront
After dredging and improvements, Liuchuan (Willow River) Canal has immediately become a top attraction in Taichung City. During the day, Liuchuan gives a carefree vibe perfect for family outings as kids can have fun watching koi fish in the clean water. As night falls, Liuchuan turns into a romantic setting as willows and the swan art installation are illuminated with sparkling lights. It is a great place for night photography and a lovely dating place where couples can leisurely stroll along the canal.
Liuchuan Canal is used for water regulation in between low flow and high flow seasons. It is flexible like a sponge capable of absorbing and releasing water.
Liuchuan Canal was once heavily polluted. Water quality has been significantly improved by intercepting upstream flow of Liuchuan Canal to Zhonghua water treatment plant. Pollution has been contained to a mild level. In addition to the newly planted 37 trees on both sides of the riverbank, 38 willows were also rooted to recreate the original setting of Liuchuan. Moreover, a variety of native plants like Chinese fringe tree, Taiwanese rain tree and Himalayan ash enrich Liuchuan’s scenery throughout the year. -
Natural Way Six Arts Center
Built in 1937 in the Japanese Colonial Period, Natural Way Six Arts Center was a place for Japanese wardens and police officers to practice martial arts. Being the only well-preserved martial arts hall in Taichung, it is extremely valuable for historical, architectural studies and adaptive reuse.
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