Taiwan: Taichung (Part 1/2)
[June 2009, November 2014 & 2016, April 2017, October &
December 2018, March 2026]
[Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Area
]
Taichung and
Kaohsiung are the largest cities in Taiwan behind Taipei, with about the same
population counts (almost 2.8 million each). Taichung is a thriving city that
is often regarded as an attractive city to live in, in particular for its
relatively dry climate, but not as a must-see place for visitors. However, I
have made many trips to Taichung, during which I have ″discovered″
a number of fascinating places dotting the city (temples, traditional
residences, modern architecture, small streets, museums...). Moreover, thanks
to its location between Taipei and Kaohsiung and the high-speed train that runs
along the west coast of Taiwan, Taichung is also well connected to the entire
western side of Taiwan.
This page,
along with its companion page (Part
2/2), features photos I took during multiple visits to Taichung. While Part
2/2 is entirely dedicated to Taichung's temples, this page gathers photos taken
at various other locations. Each consecutive series of photos taken during the
same trip is labeled by the date of that trip, beneath the last photo of the
series.
Views of the
city center and some of its modern buildings:
Two views of
the same part of the city, from the same vantage point, but nine years apart
and under different weather conditions. There are a few more tall buildings in
the background of the second photo.
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[Left: June 2009. Right: October 2018]
The Landis building (hotel ONE) in West
district.
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[November 2016]
Left: Another
view of the Landis building. Right: Sculpture and condominium building along
the Calligraphy Greenway (草悟道).
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The NTC building in Xitun district. In the
photo on the right, it is partially occluded by The Lin hotel.
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Giant
sculpture of a Mobius strip at the entrance of ″The Palace″
building in Xitun district.
[October 2018]
Old traditional streets:
Although tall
modern buildings progressively replace older and smaller structures, Taichung′s
center remains home to many narrow, atmospheric streets.
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[November 2016 and
December 2018]
Small street
shrine and temple below a large ficus tree.
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[December 2018]
In the Feng Chia night market (逢甲夜市):
Located near Feng Chia University, this
night market, with over 1000 stalls, is the largest in Taichung and one of the
largest in Taiwan.
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[October 2018]
Taichung Park (臺中公園):
This park was established during the
Japanese colonial period in an early development area of Taichung, a short walk
from the train station.
Night view of the park's lake and its
iconic Houxing pavilion (湖心亭, meaning ″ Pavilion
in the Center of the Lake″)
illuminated.
[March
2026]
Left:
Stone-arch bridge leading to the Houxing pavilion.
Right: Watchtower known as the Wu Luanqi (吳鸞旂) residence
watchtower. (This former residence dated from the late 1800s and was located in
another part of Taichung It was demolished in 1983, but its watchtower was
rebuilt in the park.)
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[April 2017]
Lotus flower
on the lake
[June 2009]
Calligraphy
Greenway (草悟道):
This ″park″
is a 3.6km-long, narrow green belt in the center of Taichung. Unusual (but
ephemerous) display of decorated cow statues in this greenbelt, south of the
National Museum of Natural Science.
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[June 2009]
Gongyi Park (公益公園):
Located a
short distance east of the Calligraphy Greenway, this small park is a popular
meeting place for local residents.
Puppet
theater in the park.
[November 2016]
Japanese-era buildings around the train station:
The area northeast of the train station, the Central District (中區), has the highest concentration of
Japanese-era buildings in Taichung. During my visit in March 2026, while I was
strolling in this district's streets, I took photos of some of them.
Former
Taichung Railway Station (臺中驛鐵道文化園區). First built in 1905 and expanded in 1917, it was replaced in
2016 by a new station located next to it, on its north side, and transformed in
a kind of museum. Its red-brick-facade contrasted with white stone horizontal
banding is typical of the early 20th-century Japanese architecture style
developed by Tatsuno Kingo.
Miyahara Eye Clinic (宮原眼科). It was originally built in 1927 by Japanese ophthalmologist
Dr. Miyahara Takeo. It was then the largest ophthalmology clinic in
Taichung Prefecture. After World War II, it became the Taichung City Health
Center. In 2010 the building was purchased by a private company, completely
renovated, and turned into the most famous pastry salon of Taichung.
Sun Cake Museum (全安堂台灣太陽餅博物館). It was originally built in 1909 to serve as a pharmacy, named
the Quan'antang (全安堂) Pharmacy, selling imported medicine.
Shiyakusho (臺中市役所). Built in 1911, it served as the ″Taichung Prefectural
Public Irrigation System Association Office″. After World War II it
became the Taichung City Hall. It was later renovated and used for different
purposes. In 2023, it was renamed the Old Story Building and occupied by the Yuyakushi Art Space.
Natural Way Six Arts Cultural Center (道禾六藝文化館). It is the only remaining martial arts dojo-style building
from the Japanese period in Taichung. Built in 1937, it was used
by officers of the Taichung prison for martial arts training.
[March
2026]
Wu Wei Tsao Tang Tea House (無為草堂):
This traditional peaceful wooden teahouse set around a garden and fish
pond mixes Chinese and Japanese elements. It is located at the intersection of
the Gongyi and Dadun Roads.
[October
2018]
Chaihsing residence (摘星山莊):
This traditional residence, also known
as Zhaixing villa, is located in the Tanzi district
north of central Taichung. It was constructed by Qing-dynasty General Lin Chi-chung during the 1870′s and inhabited by the same Lin
family until a few years ago. It is very well preserved and fortunately not
overly restored. The main three buildings are the South-East Gate, the Entrance
Hall, and the Main Hall. The Entrance and Main Halls and less important lateral
buildings enclose a rectangular courtyard. They contain some exquisite wood
carvings. This residence is one of the most, arguably the most, interesting
places to visit in Taichung, but I was the only visitor when I went there.
The South-East gate, seen from the
inside of the residence. Nowadays it opens into a very narrow, nondescript
street.
The Entrance Hall .
Note the decorations on the two sides and above the doors. They celebrate the
academic achievements of General Lin Chi-chung.
Cochin (also called Jiaozhi)
ceramics on the left and right of the door.
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Stone carvings above
the door.
Ancestor Hall. The two-character sign
above the door of the Main Hall suggests that General Lin Chi-chung ranked first in the national Imperial Palace
examination.
Wood carvings, some functional, some
not, in the Entrance and Main Halls. They show that the best possible craftsmen
were selected to build the residence.
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[October
2018]
Wufeng Lin Family Residence (霧峰林家宮保第園區):
This other traditional residence, located
in the Wufeng district south of central Taichung, has
been the home of the Wufeng Lin family since it was
constructed between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. Due to the big size
of this family, the site is much larger than the Chaihsing
residence featured above and is divided into several sections. Only the
Gong-Bao Di (宮保第, Residence
of the Palace Guard) and the
Great Flower Hall (大花廳) were opened for visit when I went
there, as some members of the Wufeng Lin family still
live in other parts of the residence. Unlike the Chaihsing
residence, most of the Wufeng Lin residence was
severely damaged by the earthquake that struck Taiwan on 9/21/1999. Despite
being beautifully restored, the repaired buildings look a bit too new and are
not as atmospheric as those of the Chaihsing
residence.
(Source:
http://wufenglins.com.tw/.)
Entrance hall of the Gong-Bao Di. (As
depicted in the above map, the Gong-Bao Di consists of four halls separated by
three successive courtyards.)
Second hall of the Gong-Bao Di (front
and back).
Third hall of the Gong-Bao Di (front and
back).
Fourth hall of the Gong-Bao Di.
Paintings of deified generals on the
doors of the entrance hall.
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Paintings and calligraphy works in the second hall.
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The Great Flower Hall, located on the
right of the Gong-Bao Di, is regarded as the most impressive part of the
residence. It is a ceremonial hall used to host banquets and watch
performances. It is entered through two circular moon gates.
Inner courtyard of the Great Flower
Hall, with a central theatrical stage. The hall was originally completed in
1894, but was reconstructed after the 1999 earthquake.
Formal living room
facing the theatrical stage.
Rear left corner of the courtyard with
outdoor seating next to the living room.
In the Wufeng
Lin Family Garden.
[October
2018]
Asia
University (亞洲大學):
Asia University was founded in 2001. Its
beautiful campus is located in the Wufeng district
south of central Taichung. It is the site of a Modern Art
Museum designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. It hosts
impressive permanent collections of Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas sculptures,
perhaps the largest outside France, as well as rotating displays of works by
local and international artists.
Main building
of the university.
In the Modern Art Museum of the
university:
- The Thinker of Auguste Rodin and the
Little Dancer Aged Fourteen of Edgar Degas.
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- Small
bronze casts of dancer poses from Edgar Degas.
- ″Cosmic
Dance″ with levitated objects, by Taiwanese artist Nick Dong.
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- ″We
Came Whirling Out of Nothingness″, by Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai.
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- Paper
sculpture created by Chinese sculptor Li Hongbo, a bust made of
thousands of paper sheets stacked and glued together like an accordion with no
hole inside that stretches into unpredictable shapes.
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[November
2014]
Huanxi Academy (磺溪書院):
This historical academy is located in
the Dadu district of Taichung, about 15km west of the Taichung train station.
It was built in the late 1880s by members of the Xiyong
Society, a group of scholars, to serve both as a gathering place for scholars
and a school for young children from southern and western districts of
Taichung. Its main hall includes a shrine dedicated to Wenchang Dijun (文昌帝君), the Taoist god of culture and literature. It was renovated in
1985 and again in 2002 after the earthquake of September 21, 1999.
Facade of the academy. Its beautiful roof descends in tiers on
either side and features eight swallowtail gables. The facade has three
entrances: the main one is located at the center, and the other two are
situated on the right and left sides.
Each of the side entrances leads to a
small room, from which a begonia-shaped gate (海棠門), an eight-lobbed variant of a moon
gate, opens into the academy's main courtyard.
- Left: View of the left begonia-shaped
gate, from the interior side of the academy's main entrance door.
- Center and right: Partial views of the
main courtyard and hall, from the left and right begonia-shaped gates.
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Main hall seen from the courtyard. In the back, it
houses a shrine primarily dedicated to Wenchang Dijiun. Note the two
vase-shaped gates (花瓶門) on either side of the courtyard.
The main entrance door of the academia
seen from the hall.
Altar dedicated to Wenchang Dijun (the
main statue) and four other deities (the four bearded statues in the front
row), collectively known as the Five Wenchang deities (五文昌). These were the gods presiding over
imperial examinations. Flanking Wenchang Dijun are two attendants, one holding
a brush and the other a ledger, known respectively as Tianlong (天聾, meaning ″Heaven-Deaf″) and
Diya (地啞, meaning Earth-Mute). They symbolize
that the granting of academic success is impartial, incorruptible, and secret.
The statue at the far left of the front
row (see the close-up photo on the right) depicts Kui Xing (魁星), a deity in Chinese mythology
associated with examinations and academic success. Holding a writing brush in
one hand, he stands on the head of the Ao Fish (鳌鱼), a mythical sea creature that
symbolizes success in imperial exams.
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Two statues in the same altar, further
to the right. They represent Guanyin (觀音), the bodhisattva of infinite
compassion and mercy in Buddhism, and Guan Yu (關羽), a Chinese general (c. 160-220)
renowned for his moral virtues, particularly loyalty and righteousness, which
was deified as Guandi (关帝, ″Emperor Guan″) after his
death. Their presence here underscores the importance of the values symbolized
by these two figures in education.
Decorations beneath the roof in the
hall.
[March
2026]
Gaomei Wetland (高美野生動物保護區):
This wetland area is located in
the Qingshui District of Taichung, some
22km northeast of Taichung train station.
Sandpipers and fiddler crabs.
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[December
2018]
Lin’s
Chastity Archway (林氏貞節坊):
This archway is located in the Dajia
district of Taichung, about 24km north of Taichung train station. It was
erected in 1848 in honor of Lin Chunniang (林春娘), the promised wife of Yu Rongchang, a
local resident. At the age of seven, Lin Chunniang entered the Yu family as a
future bride. But when she was twelve, before she was formally married, Yu
Rongchang died in an accident. She decided to remain chaste and devoted herself
to serving the woman who was to become her mother-in-law, never marrying.
After her death, local notables
petitioned the imperial court to obtain formal recognition. Once approval was
granted, the archway was erected in Dajia to commemorate her virtues. In
addition, she was elevated to a revered deity locally known as Zhenjie Ma (貞節媽, ″Mother of Chastity″) and
enshrined in the Dajia Jenn Lann Temple.
Only a few other chastity archways (貞節坊) remain in Taiwan. However, they were
once numerous throughout China prior the Cultural Revolution, with the majority
having been built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
[March
2026]