What you need to know
Located in central Taiwan, Taichung is the perfect city for a mini-trip due to its convenient location and pleasant weather.
Translated by Olivia Yang
Do you like to take mini-trips over the weekend? Getting away from the city, forgetting about the stress from work, gaining some breathing space and recharging through moving to another space.
Located in central Taiwan, Taichung is the perfect city for a mini-trip due to its convenient location and pleasant weather. If you look up travel information on the Internet, bloggers usually recommend nothing more than Feng Chia Night Market (逢甲夜市), Yizhong Street (一中商圈), CMP Block Museum of Arts (勤美術館), Taichung Metropolitan Park (都會公園), National Taichung Theater (國家歌劇院) and other popular tourists attractions. But Taichung houses a rich cultural blend, so based on different themes, we have put together three ways you can travel the city at a relaxing pace. Here are ten unique attractions in Taichung that connect creative spaces with people.
First travel option: capturing beautiful moments with your lens-four attractions in Taichung that are perfect for taking photos.
1-1 The painted Meiren Village(美仁里彩繪村)
Address: Siping St., Shalu Dist., Taichung City, Taiwan
Meiren Village shows the 1950s Taiwan through paints. The area was filled with beautiful girls forty years ago and was the red-light district of Shalu back then. But now that has all passed, and after being forgotten about for almost half a century, the old red brick walls have been re-painted, recreating the elegance of Taiwan in the old days.
Visiting tips:
It would be a shame if you only came to Meiren Village to walk and look around. Other than playing around with your camera, if you look more closely at the painted walls surrounding you, you will discover hidden inspiration of the artists. For example, the cat near the edge of the wall waving to the white cat on the other side is actually a metaphor for the streets of the past red-light district. There are many other interesting findings like this hidden in the corners, so why not dig deeper into the area next time?
1-2 Dali Totoro Bus Stop (大里龍貓公車站)
Address: No. 133, Qiaocheng Rd, Dali District, Taichung City, 412
The three-meter tall Totoro made out of discarded construction material is now one of the most popular attractions of Dali. Totoro and the little lumps of coal peek out from the side of the road. Once you open the little red umbrella hanging next to the bus stop, it’s as if you have walked through the trees from the busy traffic and entered the world of Totoro.
Visiting tips:
Find it a hassle to travel when it’s raining? That’s how you should visit the Totoro bus stop! With a little red umbrella in hand, escaping the crowd, and capturing the rain spreading out on the little red umbrella with a slow shutter is definitely the most dreamy shot. If you’re worried about not being able to come across a rainy day in Taichung, you can also wait until sunset when the sun shines on the belly of Totoro. The golden scene will take you right back to your childhood memories.
1-3 Jukui House (聚奎居) – a Baroque house nestled in the grass
Address: No. 36, Lane 405, Xuetian Rd, Wuri District, Taichung City, 414
The grade-three historic relic in Wuri, Jukui House(聚奎居), is hidden among the trees and branches of Xuetien Village. Its splendor still remains though it hasn’t been repaired for years. With a two-story western-style building build on top of a Taiwanese traditional courtyard house, the mottled red brick wall and empty Baroque cloisters whisper the stories of the once flourishing area.
Visiting tips:
Entering the house, you can feel the tremendous clash of Chinese and Western cultures. The water fountain in front of the Baroque porch was especially shaped into a symbol of good fortune, and the banisters are all odd-numbered, which represent dignity, power and traditional positive Chinese numbers. There are also hidden implications in the sculptures, galleries and so on, so don’t miss out if you are interested in architecture and culture!
With the Baroque style mansion and greenery everywhere, the location has become a popular place for photo shoots. People interested in photography can not only capture the traces of time, but also try out a luxurious decadent style photo shoot.
1-4 Rainbow Military Community (彩虹眷村)
Address: Chunan Rd, Nantun District, Taichung City, 408
A world without art is boring, and the most vibrant colors pour out of the boredom of Gancheng in Taichung. A ninety-year-old veteran, Huang Yung-fu, turned the alleys in the village into his canvas because he was “bored," and painted the entire village with innocence and the past.
Visiting tips:
Visit the village with a calm and relaxing mood, open up to the vibrant colors, and soak yourself in the strangely coordinated dream-like world. Don’t forget to keep your voice down, try not to disturb the residents, take your trash with you and leave with the imagination a better world.
Second travel option: Looking for inspiration-three cultural and creative communities worth visiting
2-1 Green Ray
Address: Zhongxing 1st Ln., West Dist., Taichung City 403.
After being reformed through green architecture concepts, twelve originally idle dormitories of the Taiwan Water Corporation have transformed into a unique part of Taichung. Aside from coming across music and dessert shops underneath the trees, there are also small talks, summer music festivals and markets from time to time.
Visiting tips:
Why not forget about your map and enjoy the leisure of getting lost in the area? You can walk into a bookshop, pick up a random book, and read it over coffee or tea. You can also stare off into space or scribble down the laughter and inspiration brought by the lighting and shadows.
2-2 Tunghai Arts Street
Address: No. 1727, Section 4, Taiwan Blvd, Xitun District, Taichung City, 407
Just like Montmartre in France, Tunghai Arts Street is not only known for its wide variety of exotic restaurants, including Greek, Middle Eastern, Indian and so on. From time to time, artists or street performers can be seen performing in the Le Corbusier Square. Many artists have already been in the area for more than ten years, and they are more concerned about the interaction between arts and the community compared to various arts awards.
Visiting tips:
To avoid the weekend crowd, you can choose a weekday to visit the artsy distinct shops and restaurants. You can also try and have a chat with the artists, traditional Chinese painters, sculptors and musicians hidden in the area. The romantic night scene of the arts street is even more worth waiting for.
2-3 Zhongxin Market (忠信市場)
Address: No. 67, Section 1, Wuquan W Rd, West District, Taichung City, 403
The nearly half-a-century-old Zhongxin Market has already lost the sounds of peddlers and smell of fish stalls. But the dim market is now reviving silently through coffee, antiques, books, newspapers and arts spaces.
Visiting tips:
Don’t be in a hurry to find something, because this is where artists spontaneously and casually get together for the occasional exhibitions. The opening hours are also more random, so why not treat coming here as a treasure hunt? Stroll slowly and leisurely around the market and enjoy the energy and surprises of the location.
Third travel option: Having a quiet conversation with art-three most unique concepts of space in Taichung
3-1 Freedom Men Art Apartments (自由人藝術公寓)
Address: No. 594, Wuquan Rd, North District, Taichung City, 404
Using the most common apartment as a main body and combining living spaces, studios, classrooms and performance spaces, the complex has become an exhibition venue for the new generation of artists holding a place between commercial galleries and public art museums.
Visiting tips:
You can visit art exhibitions of various styles here because of the open performance space the complex provides. You might also have the change to talk with the foreign artists stationed here and have a glimpse into the forefront of artistic creations.
3-2 Artqpie (佔空間)
Address: No. 135, Zhongmei St, West District, Taichung City, 403
The space is a temporary space for sharing transformed from the ruins of an old house. It is not a bookstore or a coffee shop, and not to mention not a culture and creative shop. No one will come service you and visitors need to take off their shoes to read or look at the exhibitions casually and experience the interaction between the space and senses. Artqpie roams the city, occupying an unlimited imagination one at a time.
Visiting tips:
Try to get rid of your old habits, leave your camera at home, step into your comfortable shoes, bring your favorite book and turn this place into your own study; simply return to the most simple life style in the space. You can also flip through the introduction of the space (“本冊別冊”) and learn more about the original imagination and concept of the space. Or you can lift your head and take in the works on display, while feeling the interaction between people and space while strolling around.
3-3 Natural Way Six Arts Cultural Center (道禾六藝文化館園區)
Address: No. 33, Linsen Rd. Taichung City
The cultural center was originally the judo and kendo training grounds for prison officials and police during the Japanese era. After multiple reconstructions, it is now a public park that aims to develop the six arts, including tea ceremonies, archery, kendo, guqin, Go, floriculture, aesthetics and cultural salons.
Visiting tips:
Find a quiet corner in the park surrounded by Japanese-style buildings and hundred-year-old trees. Look up at the sky and the crowd, feel the hidden silence in the bustling city, and gaze at the teacher writing couplets or the people making tea and playing chess. Take a break and stare off into space with your travel companions.
After browsing through the attractions above, are you ready to plan a trip to interact with spaces? All these ten spaces are unique, so take some time to visit them with friends or even on your own to experience a different city atmosphere. Leave your luggage at the hotel and let your body weave freely through these cultural and art spaces without any burden!
Let’s go anywhere! Visit Taichung!