Taichung

Taichung(/ˌtaɪˈtʃʊŋ/,Wade–Giles:Tʻai-chung,pinyin:Táizhōng), officiallyTaichung City,is aspecial municipalityin centralTaiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents,making it the largest city inCentral Taiwan. It serves as the core of theTaichung–Changhua metropolitan area, Taiwan's second-largest metropolitan area.
Located in theTaichung Basin, the city was initially developed from several scattered hamlets helmed by theTaiwanese indigenous peoples. It was constructed to be the new capital ofTaiwan Provinceand renamed "Taiwan-fu" in the lateQing dynastic erabetween 1887 and 1894. During theJapanese erafrom 1895, the urban planning of present-day Taichung was performed and developed by the Japanese.The urban area of Taichung was organized as aprovincial cityfrom the start of ROC rule in 1945 until 25 December 2010, when the original provincial city andTaichung Countywere merged into a new special municipality.
The city is home to theNational Museum of Natural Science, theNational Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, theNational Taichung Theater, theNational Library of Public Information,National Taiwan Museum of Comics,National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, as well as many cultural sites, including the historicTaichung Park, theLin Family Gardens, and manytemples.
TheAtayal aboriginesas well as severalTaiwanese Plains Aboriginal tribes(including theTaokas,Papora,Pazeh,HoanyaandBabuzas) populated the plains that make up modern Taichung. They were originallyhunter gathererswho later lived by cultivatingmilletandtaro.In the 17th century, thePapora,Babuza,Pazeh, andHoanyaestablished theKingdom of Middag, occupying the western part of present-day Taichung.
In 1684,Zhuluo Countywas established, encompassing the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan. Modern-day Taichung traces its beginnings to a settlement namedToatun(Chinese:大墩;pinyin:Dàdūn;Wade–Giles:Ta-tun;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Toā-tun;lit.'large mound') in 1705. To strengthen Qing control, a garrison was established in 1721 near the site of present-dayTaichung Parkby Lan Ting-chen.
North of the city, on theDajia River, an aboriginal revolt broke out in 1731 after Chinese officials moved in and compelled them to provide labor. The revolt spread through the city as far south asChanghua Countyin May 1732 before the rebels were chased into the mountains by Qing forces.In 1786, another rebellion against the Qing, known as theLin Shuangwen rebellion, began as an attempt to overthrow the government and restore theMing dynasty. Unfortunately, as the rebels moved northward, they turned to slaughter and looting. They were eventually defeated by a coalition of Qing forces,Hakka,QuanzhouFujianesedescendants, and aboriginal volunteers.
WhenTaiwan Provincewas declared an independent province in 1887, the government intended to construct its capital city at the centrally locatedToatun, which was also designated as the seat ofTaiwan Prefecture.Thus the city took the title of "Taiwan-fu", meaning "capital city of Taiwan", from modern-dayTainan, which had held the title for more than 200 years. Qing officialLiu Ming-chuanreceived permission to oversee development of the area, which included constructing a railway through the city.However, the provincial capital was ultimately moved toTaipei.
After the Qing dynasty lost theSino-Japanese Warin 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan by theTreaty of Shimonoseki, and the name of the city was changed toTaichū(Japanese:臺中). The Japanese sought to develop the city to make it the first "modern" area of Taiwanand invested in roads, dams, and levees. In 1901,Taichū Chō(臺中廳)was established as one of twenty local administrative districts on the island. In 1904, the town of Taichū had a population of 6,423, and Taichū District had more than 207,000.
Taichū Parkwas completed in 1903. A tower marking the old north gate was moved to the new park where it stands today. The first market in Taichū was built in 1908, along Jiguang Road between the Zhongzheng and Chenggong Roads and it is still in use today.The Japanese undertook a north–south island railway project.Taichū Train Stationwas completed and began operation in 1917,and still operates today. Taichū City was officially declared by Japanese authorities in 1920, andTaichū City Hallwas completed in 1924 after eleven years of construction.Kōkan Airport(公館空港), now known asTaichung Airport, was constructed during Japanese rule.
Taichū Middle School (now known asTaichung First Senior High School) was founded in 1915 by elite members of local gentry, includingLin Hsien-tangand his brotherLin Lieh-tang[zh], two wealthy Taiwanese intellectuals of the era. This was in an effort to teach children theculture of Taiwanand to foster the spirit of theTaiwanese localization movement.TheTaiwanese Cultural Association, founded in 1921 in Taipei by Lin Hsien-tang, was moved to Taichū in 1927. Most of the members of this association were from Taichū and the surrounding area. The city became a center of Taiwanese culture and nationalism.
From 1926 to 1945,Taichū Prefecturecovered modern-day Taichung as well asChanghua CountyandNantou County.
After thehandover of Taiwan from Japanto theRepublic of Chinain October 1945,Taichung Countywas established, which consists of present-day area of Taichung City,Miaoli CountyandTaoyuan City. In 1947 the first mayor of Taichung County (which included Taichung City) was Lai Tien Shen. The position was appointed by the government to rule during the interim period. Taichung also served as the temporary capital of the exiledJiangxi(Kiangsi) provincial government in 1949 after theChinese Communist Partytook control of the province.In 1950, Miaoli and Taoyuan were taken out from Taichung County area to formMiaoli CountyandTaoyuan Countyrespectively. In June 2009, theExecutive Yuanapproved the plan to merge Taichung City and Taichung County to form a larger Taichung City.On 25 December 2010, the city was merged with the surroundingTaichung Countyto create aspecial municipalityof 2.65 million people spread across 2,214 km(855 sq mi).
In 2020, Taichung was classified as a "Gamma" level global city by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.
Taichung City is in theTaichung Basinalong the main western coastal plain that stretches along the west coast from northern Taiwan almost to the southern tip. The city bordersChanghua County,Nantou County,Hualien County,Yilan County,Hsinchu CountyandMiaoli County.
TheCentral Mountain Rangelies just east of the city. Rolling hills run to the north leading toMiaoli County, while flat coastal plains dominate the landscape to the south leading to Changhua County and theTaiwan Straitto the west. TheDadu Plateaulies to the northwest.
Taichung has a warmhumid subtropical climate(KöppenCwa) bordering on atropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F). The highest temperature of the year occurs in July and August, while the lowest temperature occurs in January and February.Daytime temperatures remain warm to hot year-round, though night time temperatures during the winter months are significantly cooler than those during the summer and the warm daytime temperature. Its average annual rainfall is just above 1,700 mm (67 in), relatively low compared to other major cities of Taiwan.The average humidity is 80%.
Due to the protection provided by the Central Mountain Range to the east and the Miaoli hills to the north, Taichung is rarely severely affected bytyphoons, but typhoons emerging from theSouth China Seaoccasionally pose a threat to the city, as evidenced byTyphoon Waynein 1986, which struck Taiwan's west coast near Taichung.
Taichung's population was estimated to be 2,816,667 in March 2020.There are slightly more females in the city (50.97%) than males. 24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly.According toMinistry of Interiorstatistics, the fertility rate in Taichung City in 2007 was 1.165 for each woman.
The city surpassedKaohsiungto become the second largest city in Taiwan in July 2017, growing at the 2nd fastest rate in Taiwan from 2012 to 2017.Recent population increases have been attributed tonatural population growth, more people moving to the city, and subsidized housing.
UnlikeTaipeiin the north, which is solidly in thePan-Bluepolitical camp, and the southern cities ofKaohsiungandTainanthat are solidlyPan-Green, Taichung is more balanced, with the urban city center area leaning Blue and the suburban and rural areas leaning Green. In fact, both major political parties have won a mayoral election among the last four with at least 49 percent of the vote (Democratic Progressive Partyin 1997 and 2014 and theKuomintangin 2001 and 2005).Similarly, the Kuomintang majority in thecity councilis not as large as it is in other cities, and is only negligible when one excludesBeitun District, which is solidly pro-Kuomintang. The incumbent Mayor of Taichung isLu Shiow-yenof theKuomintang.
Taichung City's executive branch is headed by mayorLu Shiow-yenof the Kuomintang.Taichung's legislative branch is a unicameral 46-member City Council. Each member is elected from one of six member districts where each voter has only one vote.
Taichung consists of 29 districts, 28districtsand 1 mountain indigenous district.
Inner Taichung refers to the eight former districts of Taichung City before the merger withTaichung Countyon December 25, 2010. Colors indicate statutory language status ofHakka languagein the respective subdivisions. Note thatHeping Districtis also anindigenous areaof theAtayal people.
Taichung is the center and the largest city inCentral Taiwan. Its main industries are machinery and retail services.
Taichung is home to many industries. It has six main manufacturing industries: tool machines, mechanical components, photoelectric panels, bicycles, woodworking machinery, and aerospace manufacturing.
Taichung Industrial Park, located inXitun District, is home to many factories, while nearbyWorld Trade Center Taichunghosts many industrial conventions every year. Taichung is also home to theCentral Taiwan Science Park, known for the many semiconductor factories located there, most notablyTSMC.Some other famous companies located in Taichung includedAerospace Industrial Development Corporation,HIWIN,Largan Precision, andPou Chen Corporation.
Taichung is also known for its bicycle manufacturing. Notable business located in Taichung includeGiant Bicycles,SRAM, and TRP Brakes.
Taichung's financial center andcentral business districtis the7th Redevelopment Zone, where many corporation offices are located. The retail sector is another main industry in Taichung. Almost a quarter of all Taichung employees work in the retail sector.,Its output value is 1.3 trillion NTD, second largest after Taipei (5.8 trillion NTD) in Taiwan.
Taichung is most famous for itssuncakes.Taichung'sChun Shui Tangteahouse (春水堂) is wherebubble teawas invented.
Two railways run parallel to each other in Taichung: theTaichung Line, which passes through the urban areas in the interior, and theWest Coast Line, which passes through rural areas closer to the coastal shore.Taichung railway stationis located in the heart of the city inCentral Districtand numerous bus companies provide connections to other towns by bus.
TheTHSR Taichung Stationis located inWuri district, serving travel demands of both Taichung City and the northern parts of Changhua County.THSR Taichung Station is accessible bylocal trainsandMRT Green LinethroughXinwuri railway stationas well as free shuttle buses into the city.
Taichung Port, located on the coast in Taichung City, is the second largest cargo facility on the island capable of handling container shipping.Despite being the second largest port on the island of Taiwan, there are no passenger ferry services available and the port is closed to unauthorized personnel.
Taichung City generally follows a radial road layout, with its center atTaichung railway station. Major roads start in Central District and run outwards, including Taiwan Boulevard, Xiangshang Road, Zhongqing Road, and Zhongshan Road.
Freeway 1runs along the Fazi River on the outskirts of the city, whileFreeway 3runs along theDadu Riverto the coastal plains on the west, where it then runs parallel to the coastline.Freeway 4begins inQingshui Districtand terminates inFengyuan District.Highway 74, known as the Taichung Ring Expressway circles the outskirts of the city, whileHighway 63, known as the Zhongtou Expressway, runs from Taichung southward toCaotun,Nantou. Many other highways run through the city.
Most road signs in the city haveromanized spelling.
The most frequently used public transportation system in Taichung is by bus, with 18 bus companies providing 275 routes that cover all districts. All station names are announced in both Mandarin and English, while some also provide Hokkien pronunciations. For local passengers using acontactless smartcard(for example, anEasyCard), the first 10 kilometers are free.In addition, some taxi served as bus routes in rural areas.
The city currently has oneMRTline, theGreen line, which opened on April 25, 2021.A second line, theBlue line, was approved in 2024 and is expected to open in 2034.
For a short period of time, the city operated abus rapid transitsystem, named theBRT Blue Line, running down Taiwan Boulevard. It usedarticulated busesrunning a specialized lane, a first in Taiwan. The system began operation in July 2014;however, it did little to ameliorate traffic congestion, and was terminated within a year. The lane and specialized bus stops are currently used as a general bus lane, with bus lines 300-310 running through it.
Taichung International Airportis the third and newest international airport in Taiwan. It occupies the western corner ofChing Chuan Kang Air Base(CCK) and is about 20 kilometers (12 mi) from downtown Taichung City. The current airport replacedShuinan Airportas Taichung's airport in 2004.
In 1915, the Taichung Middle School (台灣公立台中中學校) (nowTaichung Municipal Taichung First Senior High School) was established as the first school for young people in Taiwan.In 1943, the Advanced Academy of Agronomy and Forestry (nowNational Chung Hsing University) became an independent entity and moved to Taichung. It is the beginning of higher education in Taichung. In 1955,Tunghai Universitywas established, becoming the first private university in Taiwan.
Currently, there are 17 universities, 50 high schools, 71 junior high schools, and 235 elementary schools in Taichung. In addition, there are four special schools,three international schools, and nine community colleges in the city.
Taichung City is in the process of implementingHanyu Pinyinon road signs throughout the city. However, there are still signs displaying spellings from previously used romanization systems, as well asTongyong Pinyinand systems that do not conform to any standard system.UnlikeTaipei, which uses a capital letter at the beginning of every syllable, Taichung City uses the standard form of Hanyu Pinyin on street signs erected in recent years. However, the municipal website uses the Taipei system. Most major intersections have at least one sign containing some form of romanization. Nearly every intersection in the downtown area has signs in Hanyu Pinyin. However, outside of the downtown area, while coverage by Hanyu Pinyin signs is improving, many intersections have signs in other romanization systems (especially Wade–Giles and MPS2) or no Romanized signs at all.
Taichung has a large number of temples, many of which hold historic and cultural value. According to a 2018 survey by the city government, Taichung is home to 1,012 registered temples, of which 774 areTaoistand 208 areBuddhist.
The GoddessMazuis one of the most popularDeity.Jenn Lann Templeis the starting point of the annualDajia Mazu Pilgrimage, one of two largest such pilgrimages in Taiwan (along with theBaishatun Mazu Pilgrimage). Each year, worshippers carry alittercontaining a statue of Mazu and travel 340 km (210 mi) on foot toXingang, Chiayiand back.Lecheng Templehosts a similar Eighteen Villages Pilgrimage, where the temple's "Hanxi Mazu" is paraded through eighteen villages for good luck.Other notable Mazu temples includeWanhe TempleandHaotian Temple.
Confucianismis a crucial part of many Chinese cultures. In Taichung, there are two historic major temples dedicated toWenchang Dijun, the patron deity of literature:Beitun Wenchang TempleandNantun Wenchang Temple. TheTaichung Confucian Templeis a large and relatively new complex dedicated toConfuciushimself. There are also severalancestral shrinesin Taichung, notably theLin Family Ancestral Shrine, theZhang Family Temple, and theZhang Liao Family Temple.
Many other deities are worshipped in the city, including:
Taichung has several open-airnight marketsthat feature local food and diversions:
Taichung has a famous hot spring,Guguan hot spring, located inHepingDistrict.
TheSinon Bullswas a professional baseball team playing in the four-teamChinese Professional Baseball League. While they were identified with Taichung City, many of their “home games” were played outside of the city due to the inadequacies of the oldTaichung Baseball Field. The team was expected to move into the newly completedTaichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadiumin 2008, but never did. At the end of the 2012 season, Sinon Corporation announced its intention to sell the team. By late December, an agreement was reached between Sinon Corporation and E-United Group, and the team was renamed EDA Rhinos and moved to Kaohsiung. TheSpecial Force IIdivision of theFlash Wolvesesportsteam is known as the Taichung Flash Wolves, the team competed in the Special Force II Pro League (SF2PL) based in Taipei.Taichung is home to Taichung City FC, a club which strives to represent Taichung in soccer tournaments as well as charitable events.
In 2015, after the CTBC Holdings took ownership of the Brother Elephants and renamed the teamCTBC Brothers, they made Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium their home as part of Taiwan'sCPBL's effort to establish home fields in all major Taiwanese cities.
Taichung has two professional basketball teams, theTaichung Sunsof theT1 Leagueand theFormosa Taishin Dreamersof theP. League+(shared withChanghua County).
Cup Marathon is held on the city's streets every autumn, either in October or November. Recent major sporting events held by Taichung include:
Taichung has signed sister city agreements with 29 cities (January 2025) since 1965. They are listed below along with the dates that the agreements were signed.
Aside from sister cities, Taichung has signed 14 friendship cities and one sightseeing friendship city as of January 2025. They are listed below along with the dates that the agreements were signed.